Snow, Freezing 'Arctic Air Mass' Headed To LI, Starting On Friday: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island is gearing up for a blast of snow and cold air this weekend that could send wind chill values below an icy 0 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

James Tomasini, meteorologist with the NWS office in Upton, said the snow could start as early as 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. Friday, and is slated to become more widespread closer to 9 a.m. before continuing steadily throughout the day and then, tapering off in the evening hours, between 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Widespread accumulation across Long Island is expected to be between 2 to 3 inches, he said.

A frigid drop in temperatures is expected to follow, he said. Temperatures Friday are expected to be in the lower 30s throughout the day. "And then a cold air mass comes in Friday night into the weekend, both Friday and Saturday nights," Tomasini said. On both Friday and Saturday nights, temperatures are expected to be in the mid-teens.

"Combined with the wind, we're looking at wind chill values in the single digits — and, on Saturday night, sub-zero," he said. "It's a pretty cold air mass that's building."

The highs on Saturday are only going to reach the mid-20s, he said, with the warmest of the wind chill values in the lower teens, before dropping into the upper single digits and then, below 0 degrees.

Winds gusts are expected to reach 25 miles per hour, with the possibility of 30 miles per hour by the coast, he said. "It will be gusty, but nothing like the past several storm systems we've had," Tomasini said. "This is nothing close to wind advisory criteria."

Flooding is not expected to be a concern as the weather ahead is classified as an "all-snow" event, he said.