Weather
Arctic Blast Headed To LI, Major Cool Down Coming
Temperatures will fall off a cliff from today to tomorrow night. But will the winter-like weather last?
LONG ISLAND – A blast of cold air is barreling toward Long Island and will bring frigid conditions to the area by Friday night.
Temperatures across the island will nose dive Friday, dropping as much as 30 degrees from Thursday daytime to Friday night. With lows near single digits expected overnight Friday to Saturday, the upcoming blast could bring coldest air the region has experienced so far this season, AccuWeather predicts.
"By Saturday morning, many thermometers in the region will be registering their lowest marks of the winter or may come within a couple of degrees of the season's benchmark set way back in mid-December, during an earlier outbreak of Arctic air," AccuWeather forecasters say.
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While the air might feel like winter, don't get excited for snow. Precipitation isn't in the forecast during the cold blast, which will only last through Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
The high temperature Sunday will be back up to the mid-40s. By Tuesday, temperatures will creep up to near 50. The average high temperature on Long Island in mid-February is in the low 40s.
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"Back-and-forth mild and cold weather conditions are likely to continue for the remainder of the month," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok says.
Through Feb. 9, just 6.8 inches of snow has been recorded this winter at Long Island MacArthur Airport. The average amount by that date is 14.7 inches, according to the weather service.
After last week's storm, here are the updated 2019-2020 seasonal snowfall totals for NWS Eastern Region daily climate sites as of 5 pm Sunday evening. With the exception of parts of northern New York and New England, seasonal snowfall totals remain well below average. pic.twitter.com/LYkLknhe9X
— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) February 9, 2020
The full forecast:
Thursday Night- Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 29. Northwest wind 9 to 11 mph.
Friday- Sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. North wind 13 to 16 mph.
Friday Night- Clear, with a low around 12. Wind chill values between 5 and 10. North wind 7 to 13 mph.
Saturday- Sunny, with a high near 34. Light and variable wind.
Saturday Night- Partly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near 25 by 9pm, then rising to around 32 during the remainder of the night.
Sunday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 44.
Sunday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Monday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.
Monday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Tuesday- A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50.
Written by Kara Seymour
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