Temperatures dropping 15 to 20 degrees below normal; slight chance of snow Friday

Bundle up — a cold blast is coming this way, this season's chilliest so far. 

Long Island will see the mercury plunge tonight, with temperatures dropping 15 to 20 degrees below normal for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.

A cold front passing through this afternoon will push Thursday’s high of 41 degrees down to 19 degrees by early Friday morning.

Even Thursday’s day temperatures are several degrees cooler than average, with wind chill values making it feel more like 25 to 30 degrees.

“It’s the coldest air of the season so far, and tonight as temperatures do drop, if it's still going to be windy the first half of tonight, we're going to have wind chills that might get down into the single digits,” said James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the service in Upton.

Wind gusts are expected to go up to 30 to 35 mph, he said. 

The region could even see some record low temperatures, according to the service.

Friday will feature partly sunny skies and a high of 37 degrees, with a slight chance of light snow after 4 p.m. that is expected to turn to rain.

Tomasini said the weekend will see slightly warmer temperatures, with day temperatures in the low 40s Saturday and Sunday. Evening temperatures on Saturday will fall to 29 and 23 on Sunday.

Another cold front on Sunday night will bring cold temperatures that will linger until Tuesday. Monday is expected to be in the high 30s with lows in the teens, according to the service.

By Lorena Mongelli

lorena.mongelli@newsday.com

Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.