Snow, Slippery Road Conditions On LI Christmas Eve Morning: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY —Christmas Eve on Long Island is going to start out with snowfall, according to the National Weather Service.

A special weather statement was issued Monday at 2:50 p.m. by the NWS office in Upton.

"A fast moving system will bring a band of light snow to the area Tuesday morning," the statement read. "A coating to less than 1 inch of snow accumulation is forecast. Roads will become snow-covered due to the recent cold weather, resulting in slippery travel conditions. Anyone planning to travel Tuesday morning should use extra caution. The accumulating snow will quickly come to an end late morning through midday, with temperatures rising into the middle and upper 30s in the afternoon."

James Tomasini, meteorologist with the NWS office n Upton, said the snow will begin Monday night and move west to east; the most likely time for Long Islanders to be impacted will be between 8 a.m. and noon, he said. About a tenth of an inch of snow to half an inch is expected, he said.

By afternoon on Christmas Eve, temperatures are expected to rise above freezing and reach the mid-30s, Tomasini said. Winds will be relatively light, at about 10 miles per hour out of the west.

Just in time for Santa on Christmas Eve night, the snow is expected to clear out late Tuesday afternoon and stay dry through Christmas Day, Tomasini said. Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s on Christmas Eve across Long Island, with Christmas Day forecast to be dry and mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 30s, he said.