Storm could dump 6-8 inches on LI

A coastal storm due to move in Wednesday afternoon is expected to dump 4 to 8 inches of snow on Long Island before moving out Thursday morning, forecasters said.

A winter storm warning is in effect from 10 a.m. today until 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologist Lauren Nash estimated that after light snow coated the area this morning, there would be a mix with rain and sleet in the afternoon before changing over to all snow at about 7 p.m.

The snow will be heavy at times between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m., before tapering off and moving out by 10 a.m., making for a potentially messy morning commute, Nash said.

The total accumulations will be influenced by the storm's track and whether there is more mixing than expected, Nash said.

Long Island has already had 20.5 inches of snow in January on top of December's 14.9 inches recorded at Long Island MacArthur Airport. The average winter brings a total of 32 inches.

Blame it on a La Niña weather pattern that is bringing above-normal moisture in from the Pacific Ocean combined with a North Atlantic block that is holding colder air from the north over us. And don't expect the pattern to change for at least a couple more weeks, meteorologists say.

With Bill Bleyer