NYC Weather: Drenching Rain To Kick Off Wet Week

NEW YORK — New Yorkers can expect to get soaked this week even though Hurricane Florence will likely miss the five boroughs. Potentially heavy showers on Monday will kick off a wet and cloudy week, the National Weather Service says.

Rain is likely throughout Monday, with close to an inch expected to hit Central Park by early Tuesday morning, the weather service says.

Thunder and heavy rainfall could strike in the evening, while wind gusts upwards of 30 MPH are possible in the afternoon, the forecast says.

The weather service blamed the wet and windy conditions on high pressure moving into the Canadian Maritimes and a warm front approaching from the south.

A chance of showers and thunderstorms will loom until Thursday, the weather service says. Monday's high near 67 degrees will be cooler than normal before temperatures warm up to the low 80s for the rest of the work week, the forecast shows.

The good news is that New York is likely out of the path of Hurricane Florence despite some ominous predictions from forecasters last week. The storm is expected to develop into a "major hurricane" on Monday and approach the United States' southeastern coast on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Here's a closer look at what to expect from the local weather this week, courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Monday
Rain. High near 67. Breezy, with an east wind 16 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Monday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog after midnight. Temperature rising to around 69 by 5am. East wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind around 9 mph.

Tuesday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the evening.

Wednesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph.

Wednesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.

Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 81.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.

(Lead image: People walk in the rain in New York City in April 2018. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)