Long Island weather: Brutal cold, snow squalls and wind arrives later Wednesday

Wednesday morning could see areas of black ice, as any residual moisture from Tuesday's precipitation could freeze, particularly on untreated surfaces, the National Weather Service said Credit: Newsday
Wednesday is expected to usher in gusty winds, possible snow showers or squalls — along with another brief blast of arctic cold in the single digits to round out January and last into early Friday, forecasters say.
Wednesday morning could see areas of black ice, as any residual moisture from Tuesday’s precipitation could freeze, particularly on untreated surfaces, the National Weather Service said in a hazardous weather outlook, urging motorists to use extra caution.
Nassau County at midnight is mobilizing road maintenance crews to salt and, if needed, to plow, said County Executive Laura Curran in a statement. She advised using caution when driving, as “rapidly dropping temperatures” through early Thursday could cause wet roads and sidewalks to freeze.
An arctic cold front crossing the area Wednesday afternoon and early evening could also deliver wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph, along with some snow showers or localized snow squalls. “Brief whiteout conditions and a quick coating to inch of snow are possible with any snow squalls,” the weather service said, meaning potentially hazardous conditions for the Wednesday evening rush.
Temperatures are expected to dive to a frigid 4 degrees or so by around sunrise Thursday for much of the Island, feeling more like minus 10 with the wind chill, the weather service said.
Even with sunny skies, Thursday's temperatures are not expected to climb out of the teens. Look for lows early morning Friday of around 7 degrees. Those conditions may seem tame compared with the “life threatening cold” in areas of the Midwest, with Illinois looking at wind chills as low as minus 54 degrees through early Thursday, according the weather service office in Chicago.
Long Island’s icy cold will be coming courtesy of the same, but then-moderating, air mass.
LaGuardia Airport tweeted that "Weather outside of the region has led to 130 flight cancelations" and Kennedy Airport tweeted that "Artic temperatures outside and within the region" Wednesday and Thursday "may impact" JFK flights. Both urged travelers on those days to check with their airlines.
As for Friday, conditions won’t be what we would call toasty, but temperatures are expected to rise to the low 20s, with Saturday going up a bit further to the low 30s, then Sunday and Monday heading up to the low to mid-40s.
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