Lowest December Temperatures This Century Possible; Forecasters Monitoring Snow Chances For Long Island

OK, you've already got that winter coat out. But now it's time to go find the hat, gloves and those hand warmers you put in your gloves that never last long enough.

You've got a few days to find them. It will near 50 degrees on Long Island Monday, and highs will be in the 40s on Tuesday and Wednesday, but things will take an arctic turn on Wednesday night and send the region into a deep freeze.

On Thursday, the high will be near 29, but the wind chill temperature will be in the single digits by the evening, the National Weather Service says.

At 6 a.m. Friday, the current projected temperature is a bone-chilling 11 degrees. The wind chill temperature: -8 degrees.

"In the Midwest and Northeast, some areas could experience their lowest December temperatures of this century," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said of the late-week freeze.

The air probably won't break any low temperature records, but most places have set only record highs during December since 2000, Abrams said.

Long Island received its first accumulating snowfall of the season Sunday night into early Monday. But it certainly wasn't much. Reported snowfall totals ranged from 0.7 inches in North Bellmore to just a tenth of an inch in Islip.

There are several chances for snow in this week's forecast, but Friday night through Saturday is what forecasters are watching closely.

"I think it is the kind of set up that could produce several inches of snow in some places then followed by icing especially away from the coast," Long Island meteorologist Joe Cioffi wrote on his website. "Of course it is early in the game here but weather models have been showing this for many days in one form or another."

Here's the full Long Island forecast from the National Weather Service:

Monday: Rain, mainly before 1pm. High near 50. Breezy, with a west wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. West wind 11 to 14 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 25 and 35. Northwest wind around 9 mph.

Tuesday Night: A slight chance of rain and snow showers between 8pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Thursday: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 29. Breezy.

Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Breezy.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26. Blustery.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Saturday: A chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Photo: Flickr/CreativeCommons/Gustaaf Prins