Friday to bring winds, rain and cooler air ahead of the weekend on Long Island

Two rounds of rain are forecast for Long Island on Friday, with the second one predicted to bring thunderstorms and possibly damaging winds to the region, meteorologists said.

Showers are expected Friday morning through the early afternoon as a front moves through the area, National Weather Service meteorologist James Connolly told Newsday.

Then, a cold front is due to arrive in the early evening, dropping temperatures from the low 70s during the day to the mid-40s Friday night. The conditions will push "showers and thunderstorms" across the Island, Connolly said. While these storms are expected to produce far less than an inch of rain, they could bring powerful gusts that could down tree branches and power lines.

"The potential exists for some damaging winds with some of the stronger storms," Connolly said. "Those winds could be 60 mph or greater. At this point it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where the strongest storms will be. That is something we’ll be watching tomorrow on the radar."

A chilly weekend is then in store for Long Island, albeit with mostly sunny skies. Temperatures will be in the mid-50s Saturday and dropping to 40 at night, the weather service said, and just a few degrees warmer on Sunday. Both days will be breezy. Monday's high is expected to be around 60 with sunshine.