Long Island breaks the freezing mark: Mercury hits 32 for the first time in 9 days

After nine straight days of subfreezing temperatures idyllic for snowmen, some Long Islanders felt the temperature reach and even surpass 32 degrees on Monday according to the National Weather Service.

In Islip, where the weather service has measured meteorological data since 1963, Monday’s high hit the freezing mark, meteorologist Joe Pollina told Newsday. Temperatures were recorded even higher in some areas, including in Republic Airport in Farmingdale (35 degrees) and the weather service’s office at Brookhaven National Lab Upton (33 degrees).

Temperatures in Islip have not surpassed freezing since Jan. 23, when the high reached a sweltering 39 degrees, more than twice the high of 17 degrees felt the following day, according to weather service records.

The mercury will rise slightly higher on Tuesday, with sunshine and highs just above freezing in the mid-30s, Pollina said. 

While the island was spared from fresh snow on Sunday, the remnants of the prior weekend's walloping — mounds in parking lots all across the island — will stick around at least through this week and another shot of arctic air is expected for the weekend.

"Some snow probably did melt [Monday]," Pollina said. "But after tomorrow, we are looking at temperatures a little cooler on Wednesday and colder on Thursday with highs only in the 20s."

Temperatures will climb but remain below freezing on Friday, when there is a 30% chance of snow. Then the mercury will plunge into a high in the teens on Saturday and Sunday.