Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued For Long Island

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Long Island, warning of the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms on Friday.

The storm risk will be mainly late this afternoon through the first half of tonight, with the main threats being damaging wind gusts and large hail, the outlook says.

Meteorologist Joe Cioffi says there will be two rounds of thunderstorms possible, one targeting western areas this evening and the other between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. that "look to hit Suffolk County especially the Twin Forks."

Showers and thunderstorms will taper off late tonight with the passage of the cold front early Saturday, the NWS says. Don't be fooled by the word "cold," though. It will be the complete opposite on Saturday, with high temperatures reaching the mid-90s and the heat index creeping toward 100 on Long Island.

Here's the full forecast:

Friday- Isolated showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Sunny, with a high near 90. Southwest wind 14 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night- Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Saturday- Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny and hot, with a high near 96. West wind 9 to 11 mph.

Saturday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 70. North wind 3 to 8 mph.

Sunday- Sunny, with a high near 90. North wind 7 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Sunday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 73.

Photo: AccuWeather.com