LI gets dusting of snow from arctic blast

A light dusting of snow fell across many parts of Long Island on Saturday night as a blast of bitterly cold arctic air descended on the area.

However the National Weather Service reported no accumulations on the Island.

Winds associated with the cold front helped to stave off snow showers as temperatures late Saturday dipped into the 20s, according to the weather service in Upton.

LaGuardia Airport was hit with two-tenths of an inch of snow Saturday night, said David Stark, weather service meteorologist.

Sunday's high temperatures is expected to reach 31 or 32 degrees with wind guts of 40 to 45 mph. However, the wind chill will make it feel like temperatures are in the single digits or teens, the weather service said.

A wind advisory is in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, as northwest winds are expected with gusts up to 45 mph, the weather service said.

It also warned of the possibility of "downed tree limbs and isolated power outages."

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A red flag warning also will be in effect Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., due to "conditions favorable for the rapid spread of wildfires," the weather service said.

Forecasters predict Sunday's low may tie a record of 18 degrees set in Islip on Nov. 25, 1989.

As opposed to a polar air mass, which typically means temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal, an arctic air mass is exceedingly cold.

The normal high temperature for this time of year is 51 degrees and the low is 35.

The arctic blast isn't expected to last beyond Monday when temperatures are to climb back above freezing.

By Tuesday -- just before the Thanksgiving travel hustle -- temperatures should be in the mid-40s, the weather service said.