Snow or rain, LI will get a lot of it

Rain - or snow? That depends where you are on Long Island.

A storm hitting the tristate area Thursday and Friday could bring more than a foot of snow to New York City and as little as an inch to eastern Suffolk, forecasters said.

Snow is likely to develop in New York City and the western portion of Nassau Thursday, just as commuters are heading to work, and continue into Friday, said Peter Wichrowski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Upton.

Suffolk and the eastern portion of Nassau are likely to see rain mixed with snow, which will turn to snow by Friday, Wichrowski said.

The heaviest snowfall is expected to arrive Thursday at midmorning through the evening, when winds will be strong, forecasters said, becoming lighter Friday before tapering off.

New York City could get 7 to 13 inches of snow, forecasters say. Nassau could see anywhere from 5 to 9 inches. Western Suffolk is expected to see 3 to 7 inches, while the eastern tip of Suffolk is likely to see 1 to 2 inches, Wichrowski said.

"The significance of this storm is it will affect us for a couple of days," he said.

Temperatures on Long Island Thursday will be in the 30s and in the mid-30s Friday.