Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued for Long Island

Dark clouds form over New York's downtown skyline on Thursday April 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Long Island on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The alert was issued just before noon on Saturday by the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 7 p.m., and was issued for more than a dozen counties in New York State, including Queens and Westchester.

The alert was also broadcasted for portions of Western Connecticut, Northern New Jersey, and Central and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Forecasters said the storm is capable of bringing hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter and wind gusts up to 70 mph. There is also concern that the storm could produce dangerous lightning, the National Weather Service said.

People in watch areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions, forecasters said. The NWS warned that severe thunderstorms could produce tornadoes.

The alert comes during another steamy day on Long Island, with temperatures throughout the Island expected to hit 95 degrees Saturday. The hot weather prompted officials to issue an air quality alert for the Island, and a heat advisory for Nassau County.