Long Island weather: Light snow possible this weekend

This weekend's snow, if it appears, could be measured in tenths of inches, the National Weather Service said.

The fish-shaped blob of a storm moving across the central states will probably track south of Long Island, bringing just a small chance of light snow from midnight Saturday to noon Sunday, meteorologists said. It will hit the central and mid-Atlantic states hard this weekend, bringing up to 9 inches, before moving off into the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said.

"It looks like Long Island will be brushed by the system, with most of the snow falling to the south," said meteorologist Peter Wichrowski at the service's Upton office. "Of course, things could change. If there's any slight shift to the north . . . worse case scenario at this point is about an inch, two inches tops."

Daytime highs this weekend will be just under freezing, down from normal temperatures of high 30s at this time of the year, Wichrowski said. But the good news is the winds have been falling from gusts of up to 40 mph on Wednesday and Thursday, making the real feel temperatures less bone chilling, forecasters said.

Next week calls for "reasonably cold" temperatures and sun, News 12 Long Island meteorologist Bill Korbel said. But he warned, "We are now entering the coldest part of winter statistically."

Highs will rise next week until they reach 40 degrees on Wednesday, then drop to the freezing mark on Thursday, News 12 forecasted.

With the chill forcing Islanders to turn up the heat, PSEG Long Island recommends setting the daytime temperature to 68 degrees, then lowering it to sleep. Setting the temperature 7 to 10 degrees lower can save as much as 10 percent on heating costs, the utility said.

Also, let the sun warm up the house by opening curtains on sun-facing windows during the day, then close them at night to keep the warmth in, the utility said. Houseplants not only add beauty, they also add natural humidity, which makes you feel warmer, PSEG experts said.

Other suggestions from the utility: make sure heating baseboards and radiators are not blocked by furniture and drapes, and remove window air conditioners or cover them to reduce drafts.