Winter Weather Expected To Arrive Early On LI, AccuWeather Says

LONG ISLAND — Long Islanders may want to break out their puffer jackets and winter boots soon. Because, according to forecasters, cold weather and snow are only weeks away.

*Cue the collective groan...*

AccuWeather recently published its annual winter forecast, giving people time to prepare for what is expected to be a busy winter season. And according to forecasters' predictions, the first blast of wintry weather could hit the Northeast in November.

Though the worst of the early freeze is expected to be further inland, areas closer to the coast will likely still feel some of the effects (though, perhaps, not as severe).

"This winter, I think, is going to be a colder one, at least for the interior sections from the Appalachians to the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said. "Areas closer to the coast, such as Boston, New York City, and the rest of the Interstate-95 corridor, could also get the chance of early-season cold and snow, but it is not predicted to be as cold or as snowy as across areas farther inland."

In November, when the first waves of cold temperatures are expected to sweep the Northeast, Pastelok said there could be "a couple of rounds of cold weather and some snow." The chance of getting some plowable snow is anticipated to start early in the season.

After the early dip in temperatures, winter could pound the Northeast with a vengeance starting in mid-December before potentially intensifying in January, which could include a heightened risk for nor'easters and snowstorms at the tail end of the season.

The official start of the meteorological winter is on Dec. 1.

Click here to read AccuWeather's full forecast for the 2021-2022 winter season.