First Chance Of Snow Sneaks Into Long Island Forecast

LONG ISLAND, NY — The coldest air mass of the season will arrive on Long Island to start the work week and it could bring some snowflakes along with it.

Rain is likely beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing into early Monday. With temperatures dropping into the 30s, the National Weather Service said there's a chance of snow showers from about 6 a.m. to noon Monday. No accumulation is expected.

What is of concern are powerful winds that could cause power outages on the island.

"Wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph are likely on Monday," the weather service said in a hazardous weather outlook issued for the region. "With still considerable foliage on trees, scattered downed tree limbs and power lines are possible."

Gusts nearing 40 mph are possible starting on Sunday night, but the strongest winds are likely to come Monday afternoon.

"Any power outages could be problematic for some communities if power is not restored by Tuesday morning when the polling locations open," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Mike Doll said of Election Day Tuesday.

The full forecast:

Saturday Night- Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 42 by 5am. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight.

Sunday- A slight chance of showers or drizzle before 8am, then showers, mainly after 3pm. High near 57. Light south wind increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday Night- Showers, mainly before 9pm. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 36. Breezy, with a south wind 6 to 11 mph becoming northwest 17 to 22 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday- Isolated snow showers before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Windy, with a west wind 17 to 22 mph increasing to 23 to 28 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Breezy, with a west wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph.

Tuesday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Breezy.

Tuesday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 36.

Wednesday- Sunny, with a high near 54.

Wednesday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 46.

Thursday- Sunny, with a high near 62.