Gale Warning In Effect For Mariners Across Long Island Thursday: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — Mother Nature brought heavy winds to Long Island Wednesday night, sparking a gale warning for mariners Thursday morning.

According to Brian Ciemnecki, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, the gale warning is only for mariners — winds on marine waters are expected to reach 35 knots, or 40 miles per hour, Thursday.

The gale warning is in effect on Long Island Thursday until 1 p.m., when that warning will convert to a small craft advisory.

"We recommend mariners not go out on the water," Ciemnecki said.

Winds gusts reached between 50 and 60 miles per hour Wednesday night and about 40 to 50 miles per hour in Nassau County; those winds are expected to decrease Thursday, he said.

Temperatures Thursday are expected to hover at about 35 degrees across Long Island, and a bit lower on the East End — with the blowing winds make it feel as though it's in the upper teens and 20s, Ciemnecki said.

The wind left some without power Wednesday night; as of Thursday morning, 749 were still seeing outages, according to the PSEG Long Island outage map.

Thursday's highs are expected to reach the high 30s to lower 40s, dropping to the lower to middle 20s Thursday night, except in the Pine Barrens, where they will plummet to the teens, he said.

On Friday, the temperatures will spike back up to the 40s, with weekend temps ranging in the mid to upper 50s. Saturday's forecast calls for rain, with the possibility of soggy skies also in the forecast for Sunday, Ciemnecki said.