Weekend Storm Could Bring Snow And Rain To Long Island

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Wild winter weather could be headed our way, though careful forecasters are hedging their bets.

Where it'll come from: a cross-country storm, starting off on the West Coast, that is forecast to intensify in the eastern U.S. late in the week, said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate major travel disruptions on the roads and at the airports from the storm in the Northeast due to a wide variety of precipitation on the way for this weekend."

It would be a change. There's been a snow drought along much of the I-95 in the mid-Atlantic, he said. New York City, for example, received only a trace of snow in 2023 — while the historic average is 5.5 inches. The last time there was an inch of snow from a single storm in New York City was on Feb. 13, 2022 — 687 days ago as of Jan 1, he said.

Will it snow on Long Island? That will depend on the track and strength of the storm, Sosnowski said. "Many storms that approach from the south in this manner tend to pull warm air in from the Atlantic Ocean, often leading to an abbreviated period of snow or wintry mix. Water temperatures in the nearby Atlantic are generally in the 40s F, so an east-to-northeast wind from the water will bring that milder ocean air inland. A more northerly wind during the storm could prevent the warming effect of the Atlantic."

It's only going to get a little colder — high temperatures could dip into the high 30s on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Here's the 6-day forecast from the National Weather Service, based on northwest Suffolk:

• Tuesday Afternoon - Sunny. Highs around 40. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Tonight - Mostly clear. Lows around 30. West winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday - Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. West winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday Night - Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of snow showers after midnight. Lows in the lower 30s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 20 percent.
• Thursday - Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and snow showers in the morning, then mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s. West winds 5 to 10 mph, increasing to northwest 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.
• Thursday Night - Mostly clear and breezy. Lows in the lower 20s.
• Friday - Sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
• Friday Night - Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
• Saturday - Partly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow in the afternoon. Highs around 40. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
• Saturday Night - Rain and snow likely. Windy with lows in the lower 30s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
• Sunday - Rain and snow likely, mainly in the morning. Windy with highs in the upper 30s. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
• Sunday Night - Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Breezy with lows in the upper 20s.