Long Island weather: Expect record-setting cold on New Year’s Eve

Going out for New Year’s Eve? Make sure you’ve got a coat.

Sunday will bring more frigid temperatures to Long Island with record-setting cold for the evening.

The day will be mostly sunny with a high of 19 and a low of just 7 degrees, with temperatures expected around 11 degrees at midnight, said the National Weather Service. Those are nearly 20 degrees colder than the average, said Upton-based National Weather Service meteorologist Carlie Buccola.

Ahead is “probably one of the coldest New Year’s Eves we’ve had on record,” said News 12 Long Island meteorologist Bruce Avery.

Average temperatures for Islip on New Year’s Eve are about 39 for the high and 24 for a low.

Monday will be sunny and frosty again, with a high of 19 and a low of 11.

The forecast doesn’t provide much relief for Long Islanders, who since the Christmas holiday have been stuck in a deep freeze that isn’t expected to thaw until Wednesday. By then, the high temperature will be a comparatively balmy 31 degrees.

Saturday’s weather added a layer of snow to the mix, making for messy roads.

Avery said the snow really got underway in Nassau County about 8 a.m. and “about 10 or 11,” in Montauk.

The snow had mostly tapered off by 4:30 p.m.

The service’s snowfall reports ranged from 0.6 inches measured in Manhasset to 2.5 inches reported in Babylon. Most of Nassau County saw about an inch, while Suffolk saw closer to 2 inches.

Winds of 10 to 20 mph following the snow plunged temperatures from a high of 24 degrees to 14 degrees, with a wind chill making it feel closer to zero.

“We had an arctic blast with very beautiful, powdery snow,” Avery said, who also warned, “Frigid air will be coming back for the start of 2018.”

On Twitter, the weather service advised Long Islanders to dress very warmly if they planned to be outside. Warm hats, face masks, coats and two to three layers are recommended for “extreme cold.”

— With Lisa Irizarry