Wind Chill Could Reach 15 Below Zero As Arctic Air Blasts Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — A blast of icy arctic air is expected to blanket Long Island this weekend, forecasters said Thursday.

According to the National Weather Service, the arctic cold front approaches Thursday and will deliver an "extremely cold" air mass into the area for Friday into Saturday.

John Cristantello, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Upton, said the arctic cold front will first hit the area late Thursday. By 7 a.m. Friday, temperatures are expected to be in the mid-20s. By noon, temps are slated to drop to the lower 20s and by sunset, into the lower teens. Temperatures are expected to range from about 0 to five degrees Friday night.

"It will be a slow drop-off of temperatures," Cristantello said.

Wind chills will average about 10 degrees in the morning Friday and plunge to about 0 degrees by sunset, he said — and then drop to a bone-chilling minus-10 degrees to minus- 15 degrees late Friday night into Saturday morning. Wind gusts are expected to be between 30 and 35 miles per hour, he said.

Cristantello warned residents to take winter precautions, leaving no exposed skin for any extended periods, he said.

The NWS offered two words of sage advice: "Bundle up," he said.

The blast of cold air will move quickly through the region, with temperatures of up to 40 degrees expected Sunday. No precipitation is expected.