LI could set records for warmest February, winter with least snow

It’s s’no joke: Long Island is on the verge of setting records for the warmest February and the least amount of snowfall in a single season, according to the National Weather Service.

The highest mean temperature for February was the 47.3 degrees recorded at Long Island MacArthur Airport in 2018, according to meteorologist Bryan Ramsey of the National Weather Service. The mean temperature so far for this February is 48.4, he said Monday. 

“It’s only the 20th [of February] and there are cold fronts moving in that could change things,” Ramsey said. 

Those cold fronts could also bring snow, although it is not likely to stick around, he said. 

Less than 1 inch — .7 of an inch, to be exact — has been recorded at MacArthur Airport this winter, far less than the 25 or 30 inches that the region usually experiences. The record for the least snowfall was set during the winter of 1997-98, according to Ramsey, when 2.6 inches of snow fell on Long Island. 

The best opportunity for Long Island to dodge the least-snowfall record comes Wednesday night, when snow or sleet is expected. But any snow that does fall won’t linger — Ramsey said the snow will turn into rain by Thursday morning. 

Monday’s high temperature was a pleasant 60 degrees, well off the record high of 68 set in February 1976. 

The weather service said Tuesday will be cloudy and will bring a chance of rain before 9 a.m., with more rain likely after 4 p.m. The high temperature will be 44 degrees.

Minor coastal flooding is expected with the Tuesday morning high tide in vulnerable areas along Nassau County's South Shore.

Tuesday night is predicted to be partly cloudy, with the low around 31.

Wednesday’s forecast calls for a slight chance of snow, sleet and rain in the afternoon, with a high near 44 degrees. It also calls for a 100% chance of precipitation Wednesday night and a low temperature of 33 — but any possible snowfall will most likely turn into rain by early Thursday. 

Rain will continue until about 10 a.m. Thursday and will turn into a drizzle. Skies will be cloudy, with a high of 43 degrees.