LI may get 2 to 4 inches of snow

Long Island could be hit with 2 to 4 inches of snow, starting to fall in earnest Saturday in the early morning hours, forecasters said.

Snowfall is expected to be slightly less on the South Shore of Long Island, with higher levels along the North Shore and in central Long Island, said Joey Picca, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, based at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton.

The snow is expected to taper off early afternoon Saturday for western Long Island and early evening for those in eastern Suffolk County, forecasters said. The chance of precipitation Saturday is 80 percent, according to the weather service.

Thursday morning, black ice conditions led to scores of minor accidents and forced the temporary closure of several roads across Suffolk County overnight, police said. Police in Nassau reported no closures.

Suffolk County police said that minor accidents and hazardous conditions led to overnight closures of Nicolls Road in Holtsville, Deer Park Avenue between John Street and Montauk Highway in Babylon and stretches of Montauk Highway in Great River and Moriches. All of those roads were treated and reopened, police said.

Temperatures were in the mid 40s Thursday and will drop below freezing overnight. They will bounce back to the mid to high 40s on Friday, when sunny skies are expected.

With John Valenti

SEE PHOTOSSnowstorms that buried LI over the past 100-plus years