News

‘First widespread freeze’ expected to hit tonight

COURTESY CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION | A map shows the average first frost date throughout the state.
COURTESY CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION | A map shows the average first frost date throughout the state.

You may not have needed that coat on Saturday, but Sunday night will be a whole different story, according to weather forecasters, who predict that’s when Eastern Long Island will see an extended freeze for the first time this season.
The National Weather Service predicts “below freezing temperatures late tonight (Sunday) into early Monday,” with temperatures in the upper 20- to lower 30-degree range.

The freeze warning will remain in effect from 10 p.m. Sunday through 9 a.m. Monday for all of Suffolk County, as well as parts of Connecticut, the NWS says.

The freezing temperatures “will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation, bringing an end to the growing season,” according to the NWS.

“We’ve had a couple of frost conditions so far, but this would be the first widespread freeze,” said meteorologist David Stark of the NWS in Upton.

“This will be not just across the North Fork, but basically all of Suffolk County,” he said.

The typical date for the first freeze of the season on Long Island is about Nov. 1, according to date from 1981 to 2010, according to Mr. Stark.

“So this is right on the money,” he said.

The rest of the week, after Monday, is not expected to follow suit, with temperatures predicted to be over 50 degrees on Tuesday, with a low of 39 degrees on Tuesday night and over 60-degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, with lows in the 50-degree range both nights, according to the NWS.