Long Island weather forecast: 'Impactful storm' possible for Sunday

Meteorologists are keeping an eye on what could develop into "yet another impactful storm" for Long Island on Sunday.

A nor'easter heading up the East Coast and another storm from the Great Lakes could bring "plowable snow," said Newsday meteorologist Geoff Bansen, who cited one forecasting model as predicting up to a foot of snow.

Rain will visit Long Island first, moving into the area Friday morning from west to east and will linger for much of Friday, tapering off Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

And with temperatures well above freezing on Friday, with highs reaching nearly 40, snow will continue to melt.

Saturday will start off dry, with a slight chance of snow or a rainy mix at night.

But the “real timeframe” Long Islanders should pay attention to is Sunday through Monday morning, when the bulk of the snow is expected, weather service meteorologist John Murray said.

A nudge east would result in a near miss for most of the area, a weather service update said.

The service's next update on Friday afternoon will have a more accurate prediction of the storm's path and snowfall accumulation, Murray said. 

Long Island will also likely experience high winds Sunday night, with gusts of up to 40 mph in some areas and 30 to 35 mph in others. Coastal areas should also brace for potential minor flooding, especially with Sunday night’s high tide.

“A coastal storm is very likely at this point, and it will be powerful,” Bansen said. “It's just a matter of how close to Long Island it will be as it’s reaching its potential.”

The probability of plowable snow is increasing, but exact numbers are hard to pin down as the storm is about 72 hours away, he added.

Bansen said the nor’easter will really “start cranking up” Sunday night into Monday.

Those returning to school or work on Monday after the Presidents Week break should pay attention to the weather forecast as Monday morning will have the strongest impacts.

While potential coastal flooding may occur Sunday, Bansen said we will likely not have any “exacerbated high tides” because the phase of the moon will be growing towards the first quarter.

While January’s big storm had ice, which helped to freeze and harden snowfall, Murray said Sunday’s snow will be more wet, 

Sunday will see highs in the mid-to-low 30s, and lows in the upper 20s at night. Monday will see above-freezing temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s.

January’s storm also had the element of arctic air – something we will not see on Sunday, Murray said.

Bansen said that while snowfall at MacArthur Airport recorded 8.2 inches above average this season, Long Island is in a minor drought.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, eastern Suffolk through the East End is in the abnormally dry category while western Suffolk through Nassau is in the moderately dry category.

Ten inches of snow becomes only 1 inch of water going into the ground, Bansen said, adding: “Snow-to-liquid ratio, it does not really equate to that much.”