Long Island weather: Arctic air blasts LI later this week

A seemingly endless stretch of mostly warmer-than-normal days comes to an abrupt and dramatic pause Friday into Sunday, as a quick shot of arctic air is set to affect the area, forecasters say.

It won’t be lasting long, but still, Long Islanders could be seeing highs in the mid- to upper 40s on Friday, then wake up early Saturday to temperatures in the mid- to upper 20s, said Brian Ciemnecki, National Weather Service meteorologist in Upton.

Overnight Friday into Saturday morning “will be the coldest weather we have had this fall, with below freezing temperatures over all, or nearly all, of the Island,” said Bill Korbel, News 12 Long Island meteorologist. “Time to make sure the heating system is working properly.”

Saturday is expected to head up to the low to mid-40s, the weather service said, dip down to around freezing overnight, and then rise to the low 50s for Sunday. Normal highs for this time of year are around the mid-50s, Ciemnecki said.

But this shot of cold is a departure from what people have settled in to, with last month having come in as the warmest October on record at Long Island MacArthur Airport, and with November, as of day-end Sunday, registering 7.9 degrees above normal.

Setting the stage for the cold blast will be Tuesday, with highs expected in the low to mid-50s, bringing the chance for light rain in the evening, and overnight into Wednesday.

Wednesday was expected to head up to the low 50s, with Thursday looking at the mid-50s and both days seeing overnight lows in the upper 30s, according to the weather service.