NYC Weather: Inch Of Rain Could Spoil Winter Sunshine

NEW YORK — The first weekend of 2019 could be a wet one in New York City, with an inch of rain expected to end a stretch of winter sunshine. The first showers could fall late Friday night following a sunny day with a high near 49 degrees, the National Weather Service says.

The soak will last into Saturday evening, with the bulk of the rain falling from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the weather service's forecast shows. The mercury is expected to hover around 45 degrees on Saturday, a bit warmer than normal for this time of year.

"The rain will come down moderate to briefly heavy at times late tonight and during the day Saturday, tapering off and ending Saturday night," the weather service said Friday.

Sunshine will return on Sunday and Monday before a chance of rain and snow looms Monday night, according to the weather service.

The weekend showers will come on the heels of the city's fourth-wettest year on record. More than five feet of precipitation hit Central Park in 2018, according to the weather service's measurements.

Here's a closer look at the forecast, courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 49. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

Friday Night
Rain, mainly after 10pm. Low around 41. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Saturday
Rain. Steady temperature around 45. Northeast wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday Night
Rain likely, mainly before 7pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 46. West wind 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 37.

Monday Night
A chance of rain and snow before 10pm, then rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday
Rain likely, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.

(Lead image: People walk past the New York Stock Exchange on a rainy day in October 2018. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)