Wind Advisory Issued For Long Island

UPDATE 7 p.m.: The threat of thunderstorms has now passed, the NWS says.

It's going to a weather roller coaster ride over the next few days on Long Island.

First up, we will be dealing with thunderstorms and gusty winds Wednesday. There is a slight risk for severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening with the main threat from damaging winds, the National Weather Service says in a hazardous weather outlook issued for the region.

Winds are expected to gust to about 30 mph throughout the day, but any severe thunderstorms that hit the island could bring gusts of at least 60 mph.

"The risk of weak tornadoes cannot be completely ruled out," the NWS says in forecast discussion.

The high temperature Wednesday is expected to reach 61 degrees which would break the daily record at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Thunderstorms will continue into early Thursday, when a wind advisory will be in effect from 1-6 a.m as winds gust up to 50 mph.

"Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects," the advisory says. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result."

The rain is expected to end before daybreak Thursday and the rest of Thursday will be mostly sunny with a high near 47. The temperature will drop into the mid-20s overnight into Friday when it will certainly feel like winter again because snow is in the forecast.

There's a 50 percent chance of light snow Friday, the NWS says. As of now, just a coating is expected, but there is the potential for more (see the snowfall prediction maps below).

"There is the possibility though of getting around two inches of snow with any colder trend to temperatures as well as any higher trend in moisture content and precipitation," the weather service says.