Forecasters: Rain arrives Tuesday night, will dampen New Year’s celebrations into Wednesday

Long Island will end the year and enter a new one with rain, as showers are expected to begin Tuesday evening and continue through the night. forecasters said.

After a relatively nice day of highs in the low 50s and mostly sunny skies, clouds will develop around 6 p.m., with the chance of rain increasing through the night, said Dave Radell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release Monday: “Those heading to Times Square should expect rain, while upstate residents may face significant snow and strong winds. New Yorkers should remain weather aware over the next couple of days and avoid unnecessary travel if conditions worsen.”

Times Square is expected to be a wet, wind-swept mess by midnight’s ball drop. Among the banned items from the viewing area are umbrellas. 

The rain is expected to stop early Wednesday morning. The service expects up to half to three quarters of an inch of rain.

“We’ll clear out tomorrow. Not a bad New Year’s Day, mostly cloudy, but … early highs in the 50s,” Radell said.

Strong winds are also forecasted Wednesday with gusts as high as 29 mph into the night.

Skies will remain dry but will dip to highs in the low 40s on Thursday. Temperatures in the high 30s are forecast for Friday and the low 30s on Saturday and Sunday.

“The big story, really, is the change in temperature,” Radell said.

Monday may see a slight chance of snow, but the service will have a better understanding with time.

“At this point it’s going to be cold enough, but whether or not we get any precipitation, that’s another story, and that’s pretty far out,” Radell said.