Long Island weather: Rain expected, snow possible Saturday night

A blast of Canadian air has set off a string of cooler days on Long Island while a low pressure area coming from the west is likely to bring with it a mix of rain and possibly snow Saturday night.

Initial projections had the storm dropping about an inch of snow across the Island, but meteorologists said Saturday afternoon that any snow would be more of a dusting, with bursts possible in the late evening between 8 and 10 p.m.

National Weather Service meteorologists Jay Engle said the snowiest part of the storm veered south, but Long Island is still in for a wet Saturday night. Temperatures will drop into the mid and upper 20s overnight, and it will feel even colder thanks to gusty winds starting as the rain tapers off around midnight.

“It’s not record cold, but near record cold,” Engle said. “With the wind, it’ll feel a good five to 10 degrees colder.”

A freeze warning for both Nassau and Suffolk counties was issued until 10 a.m. Sunday. Freeze warnings are issued when temperatures are expected to drop below 32 degrees after the growing season officially starts, which was the beginning of April this year, as a signal to farmers and gardeners who may want to bring in outdoor potted plants or find a way to cover plants that are affixed in the soil.

Temperatures cooled down Friday night into Saturday morning to about 30 degrees in most areas, with the East End seeing the thermometer around 20 degrees, along with frost on the ground as the sun came up, said Nelson Vaz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Upton office.

“We’re in a chilly air-mass pattern from Canada,” Vaz said earlier Saturday. “Overnight we generally had light winds, mostly clear skies, which was able to make the ground cool very quickly. We’re expecting the same for tonight again with this Canadian air mass.”

SEE PHOTOS20 rainy day activities for families on LI

Engle said the weather Sunday will be an improvement.

“Sunday, we should see more sunshine,” Vaz said, although temperatures won’t creep up past the mid-40s.

Looking ahead, the week’s forecast doesn’t immediately promise any relief from the cooler temperatures, according to Vaz, who said we can expect temperatures in the lower to mid-50s Monday and Tuesday, with a chance of rain.

“It’s definitely a chilly early April,” Vaz said. “It’s a chilly pattern, but not totally uncommon to see this change in the weather this early into spring.”