Long Island records first snowfall of the season, but it's not much

The wait is over — Long Island recorded its first snowfall of the season Tuesday.

Albeit brief, snow flurries and trace amounts of snow were reported Tuesday afternoon across parts of Long Island, according to the National Weather Service, including reports of snow in Yaphank, Northport and Huntington.

The forecast called for about a 30% chance of snow flurries through Tuesday afternoon, combined with cold temperatures in the 30s and wind chill values of 25 degrees. The blustery weather was predicted to feel even colder with 23 mph winds and gusts up to 33 mph, according to the weather service.

No significant snowfall was expected to stick, but meteorologists confirmed it marks the first snow of the season, in a year when less snow was predicted for this winter.

An El Nino system is expected to bring above-average temperatures this winter, but more active coastal storms could mix with cold air to produce possible snowstorms.

Last year’s first snowfall came Dec. 11 when parts of Long Island reported trace amounts of snow, totaling 0.4 inches for all of December 2022.

There was no snow reported in October or November last year and the majority of last winter’s snowfall came with about 3 inches in late February, according to the service.

The flurries seen Tuesday may be the only snow Long Island gets for the foreseeable future, forecasters say.

There is no significant snow in the forecast for the next week. Temperatures are expected to warm up slightly in the upper 30s to low 50s by Friday with rain likely through Friday night.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.