Long Island weather: Strong winds, snow squalls make for a bitter night
Snow squalls were churning through Long Island Wednesday afternoon, a prelude to an evening filled with strong winds and rapidly cooling temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.
In a 3:30 p.m. alert, the weather service said squalls were moving through the area at about 55 mph, going through locations such as Islip, Lindenhurst, Garden City, Mineola, Westbury, Babylon, Great
Neck, Farmingdale, Massapequa, Robert Moses State Park, Deer Park,
Plainview, Levittown, Amityville and Brookville.
As evening approaches, winds of between 15 and 25 mph are forecast with expected gusts of up to 50 mph, the weather service said. Temperatures are expected to plunge.
" Skies will clear tonight as colder air filters in on a gusty west to northwest wind. Lows tonight will range from the teens in some of the colder interior locations, to the 20s for the city and along the coast. Wind chills will be as cold as the single digits at times, especially further inland," the service said in its regional summary.
Snow squalls can produce a brief period of heavy snow, gusty winds, and near zero visibility, and can lead to "dangerous life-threatening travel," the weather service said.
Drivers should be alert for icy road conditions in areas, and the Long Island Rail Road issued an alert to riders advising them to use caution on station staircases and platforms, especially when boarding or exiting trains.
"Please walk, don't run on platforms and stairs," the advisory urged. "And allow extra travel time."
The weather service also has issued a gale warning for Long Island Sound and all South Shore waters, from New York Harbor to Montauk. That warning will be in effect until 1 a.m. Thursday.
"Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility," the weather service warned.
The good news is that, despite temperatures that will hover around the freezing mark Thursday, sunny skies are on tap for the day.
Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 40s on Friday and unseasonably warm, in the upper 50s, on Saturday and Sunday.
Of course, it isn't all good news for what figures to be a warm weekend. The weather service is calling for the possibility of rain and patchy fog Saturday, with a 50% chance of rain on Sunday.
With Matthew Chayes
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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