Snow and rain forecast for Long Island this weekend, according to the National Weather Service
A mix of snow and rain are possible this weekend on Long Island, forecasters say. Credit: NewsdayTV
Snow and rain are forecast for Long Island this weekend, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki., who said the impact of two weather systems converging on the area remains unclear.
How much snow will fall as two weather systems converge over the Island is uncertain, he said.
Saturday’s high temperature will be in the lower 40s. Light snow and rain could begin falling as early as late morning, according to Ciemnecki. The precipitation will pick up in the afternoon and it’s "mainly going to be a mix of rain and snow," he added.
"There are two weather systems we’re watching right now. The first one is going to come through today, mainly this afternoon," he said. "This should be Islandwide [as it] comes through west to east."
Ciemnecki said it’s unclear at this point how much snow might stick on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to drop just below freezing on Saturday night.
A second weather system is expected to pass by Long Island to its southeast on Sunday, when temperatures will be in the mid-30s.
Ciemnecki told Newsday, "There’s still some uncertainty with this next system with exactly where it tracks and how far away from Long Island it gets."
"I think it’s mainly going to be a snow event. The question is, will any rain get mixed into this? Right now, we kind of have snow with a chance of rain in the forecast tomorrow," Ciemnecki said. "So, still some uncertainty with how this next system plays out for tomorrow."
The result of Sunday’s weather system, Ciemnecki said, will depend on how closely it passes by Long Island, how much warm air is mixed in and how much is rain or snow.
He could not say whether any of the snow is likely to stick.
"It depends. I think in some spots we’ll see it sticking. It could be just a couple of inches. It could be more than that," he said. "There are still questions about how much we get here."
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
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