Damaging Winds, Brutal Cold, Snow Headed For Long Island

Strong winds Thursday could cause "widespread power outages" on Long Island, the National Weather Service says.

A wind advisory will be in effect from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday. Wind gusts up to 50 mph are expected during the day. A more serious high wind watch will follow from 6 p.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday.

Gusts of up to 60 mph are expected Thursday night. Winds may blow down trees and power lines and travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicle, the NWS says.

The wind will make the coldest airmass of the season, which will spread into the area late Wednesday night and Thursday, feel even colder. The high temperature on Thursday on Long Island will be near 26 degrees, but the wind chill temperature will be between 5-15 degrees. At night, it gets even worse. The low will drop into the mid-teens. The wind chill temperature at 7 a.m. Friday is expected to be zero. Yes, zero.

The wind will calm down by Friday afternoon, but it will still be frigid, with a high near 24 degrees. A light and powdery accumulating snow is then likely late Friday night into early Saturday on Long Island. The National Weather Service says the island could see 2-3 inches of snow before it changes over to a wintry mix and then rain Saturday morning.

Photo: AccuWeather

Here's the full forecast:

Thursday: Isolated snow showers between 10am and 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 24 by 5pm. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Windy, with a northwest wind 20 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night: Isolated snow showers between 11pm and 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Windy, with a west wind 22 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25. Wind chill values between zero and 10. Northwest wind 12 to 17 mph decreasing to 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Snow, mainly after midnight. Temperature rising to around 27 by 5am. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Saturday: Snow before 8am, then rain. High near 50. South wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday: Rain. High near 54. Chance of precipitation is 90%.