Weather
Warm, Wet February Sets Long Island Records
The first half of the month has been the hottest and wettest, on average, for Long Island. And that's not changing anytime soon.
This February has been exceptionally warm and light on snow. In fact, it's the warmest February on record, according to information recently released by the Northeast Regional Climate Center of Cornell University.
According to data from the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) for the first 15 days of February, Long Island has hit some records. The weather station in Islip recorded the warmest average temperatures ever. This month has been 6.9 degrees warmer than the average February temperatures.
The month also set records for snowfall, because there was none. The Islip weather station reported zero inches of snow for Feb. 1 through 15, whereas the average is 3.6 inches.
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But the lack of snowfall has not meant it has been a drier month. Just the opposite, in fact. The Islip station recorded higher-than-average precipitation for the first half of the month. There were 2.26 inches of rain recorded, a 129 percent increase over the average of 1.63 — making it the 20th wettest on record.
And it doesn't look like that record is going to be changing anytime soon. The National Weather Service is predicting high temperatures this weekend into next week, with some possible rain on the horizon, too.
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Here's the full forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Wind chill values between 25 and 30. Northwest wind around 8 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 19. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. North wind 8 to 13 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 5 and 15. North wind 7 to 13 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a steady temperature around 30. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 7 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 45. West wind 10 to 13 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 32.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 47.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.
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