Rain-snow mix likely for LI early Friday

It won't be enough to make a snowman, but the season's first snow is expected to coat Long Island like a light blanket in the early hours of Friday.

Thursday night's rain may change to a mix of rain and snow after 2 a.m., but the precipitation will peter out by 5 a.m., said meteorologist Joe Pollina at the National Weather Service in Upton.

The forecast calls for less than one-tenth of an inch of snow accumulation on the Island, Pollina said.

"It'll be snowing, but not a lot will be sticking to the ground," he said.

That's because temperatures will hover around the mid- to upper 30s, above freezing, during the morning commute, meteorologist said.

Skies should begin clearing by about 9 a.m. Friday, the weather service said.

Temperatures Friday are forecast to be a chilly 40 degrees -- that's about 10 degrees below normal -- with northwest winds from 10 to 15 mph and gusts to 20 mph making it feel in the 20s at times, Morrin said.

For the weekend, the weather service is forecasting a sunny start, followed by rain. Saturday should be chilly but sunny with a high of about 41 degrees; Sunday, forecast to be a bit warmer in the mid-40s, calls for increasing clouds, with rain expected in the evening and continuing into Monday.

With Rosemary Olander