First LI Snow Estimates For Powerful Winter Storm

LONG ISLAND, NY — The National Weather Service says "confidence is increasing that a significant winter storm will create considerable impacts in the time window of Friday night to Saturday night across the local region."

There will be the potential for heavy snow and strong winds as well as coastal flooding. The weather service is holding off on making any snow total estimates as uncertainties remain with the track and intensity of the storm system.

The Weather Channel and AccuWeather, though, have released initial estimates and boy are they a doozy.

AccuWeather says there is the "potential for over a foot of snow and significant travel disruptions."

The Weather Channel says the island can expect 5-8 inches of snow during the day Saturday and another 1-3 inches Saturday night.

The latest hour-by-hour forecast has snow falling from a 24-hour period from Friday evening until Saturday evening.

With the storm still three days away, plenty can change in the forecast so be sure you are subscribed to Patch news alerts to get storm updates straight to your inbox.

"There is room for more of a western track which would push the heavy snow threat farther west across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast and would also introduce the possibility for a rain/snow mix or even just rain along part of the coast," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno says.