Colder weather heading to Long Island

Real winter weather is here -- for a little while anyway.

It's time to exchange the sweaters and sweatshirts for warmer coats and jackets when heading outdoors.

Thanks to a cold front from Canada that's passed through Michigan and the Great Lakes, a winter chill has arrived on Long Island and the Northeastern states -- and some snow flurries may accompany the cold snap.

"Behind that front is cold air," said Joe Pollina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton.

And until Thursday we can expect lower-than-normal temperatures for this time of year, he said.

Pollina said the front will bring daytime temperatures in the low 30s and nighttime lows in the 20s through Wednesday.

Meteorologist John Murray said normal temperatures for this time of year hover around 39 degrees.

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"This is a very cold air mass," Murray said. "And it's going to be pretty much here Tuesday and Wednesday."

Tuesday night is expected to be especially cold, with a low of 15 degrees.

Winds ranging from 15 mph to 21 mph could provide a windchill effect of subzero temperatures, he said.

"It might feel a lot colder, especially at night, with the wind-chill factor," he said.

Flurries also could be in the forecast, Pollina said, but "if we get snow, there will be probably no real accumulation."

Temperatures will warm a bit starting Thursday, when sunny skies and a high of 43 degrees is forecast.

The weekend also looks milder, with partly sunny skies and a high Saturday of 49 degrees.

Murray said the fluctuations are a product of changes in several factors, including the direction of the jet stream, but they are not unusual.

With Zachary R. Dowdy