Long Island weather: Relief from bitter cold expected

The bone-chilling cold that marred the past few days was forecast to recede overnight, bringing warmer weather beginning Sunday, relief from dangerously frigid temperatures and wind, according to the National Weather Service.

In contrast to nighttime temperatures in the single digits, the forecast for the new week calls for highs in the 40s and lows in the 30s, with rain possible toward the end of the week. And maybe some temperatures in the lower 50s, Wednesday through Friday.

“This arctic outbreak will already become a distant memory,” said weather service meteorologist Bill Goodman. “It’s just very quick hitting and that’s good.”

The sudden cold led to power outages, stalled trains, and dire risks of frostbite.

Low temperatures ranging from 4 degrees in Farmingdale to zero degrees in Montauk and Westhampton were recorded Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

In Islip, the mercury plunged to 3 degrees. The last time that happened was in January 2019, weather service meteorologist Jay Engle said.

The bad weather led to power outages in the area, according to Elizabeth Flagler, a spokeswoman for PSEG Long Island.

“The cold snap brought strong winds and significant wind gusts across Long Island and the Rockaways, toppling trees, branches, limbs and wires,” she wrote in an email.

As of 1 p.m., power had been restored to more than 13,000 of the more than 13,400 customers — each represented by a meter.

In parts of Northport, “high winds knocked down a tree which took down a pole and nine sections of wire affecting more than 1,080 customers,” she said.

Almost 400 got power back in seven minutes, but about 700 households didn’t. Flagler said crews “worked through the night and today to restore the remaining customers. It was a large job. The tree had to be cleared and the poles and equipment needed to be replaced and then the wire restrung.”

William Danzi, 34, who owns a delivery business and an auto repair shop and lives on Bevin Road in Asharoken with his wife, recalled the power going out about 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. Friday as he was trying to watch a Netflix comedy special after putting his daughters, 9 months and 3 years old, to bed.

At first he thought power would be restored quickly, but when it wasn’t about 45 minutes to an hour, Danzi got the family’s generator going with a neighbor’s help. And then the family just waited.

Danzi said he had enough fuel to last until power was restored early Saturday afternoon.

He said of his elder daughter during the outage: “She was petrified — but, I mean, any 3-year-old with a power outage would be.”

As for the chance for snow later in the winter, Goodman said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if late February and March offer up something. But at this point that’s educated speculation at best."   He added: "It’s just a wait-and-see game…It ain’t over till it’s over.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.