Long Island Weather: Showers, Thunderstorms On The Way Plus The Latest Track For Hurricane Irma

Flash flooding will be a concern for Long Island Wednesday as a cold front stalls over the region, bringing showers and thunderstorms, the National Weather Service says.

Rain is in the forecast the entire day Wednesday and it may continue into Thursday morning.

But, the NWS says, "The flooding potential will however be lessened with this being a long-duration event that doesn't appear to bring long periods of heavy rain."

The latest on Hurricane Irma

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center issued a stark warning to interests in the Caribbean Sea Tuesday morning as Hurricane Irma barreled into the region packing maximum sustained winds of 180 mph. Officially upgraded to a powerful Category 5 storm, Irma is likely on a collision course with Puerto Rico and other islands in the region.

Tuesday morning the center said there is an "increasing chance" the storm will impact the Florida peninsula and the Florida keys. After that, the unpredictable nature of hurricanes makes an exact forecast difficult.

"It is too early to determine what direct impacts Irma might have on the continental United States," the NHC said. "Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place."

Here on Long Island, a hazardous weather outlook has been issued for the potential for an extended period of of dangerous rip currents at ocean beaches as swells from Irma build toward the area.

The latest potential Irma tracks certainly look better for Long Island than they did a few days when several showed the storm barreling up the coast and slamming into the region.

The full Long Island forecast:

Tuesday Afternoon- Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. South wind around 17 mph.

Tuesday Night- A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 67. South wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Wednesday- Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 75. Southwest wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Wednesday Night- Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a low around 63. Southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Thursday- A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 72. West wind 7 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.

Friday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.

Friday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Reporting by Patch staff

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