NWS: 6-8 inches of snow expected, frigid temperatures to remain
Couples may want to plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day indoors.
An approaching winter storm is expected to bring up to 8 inches of snow and strong winds overnight Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. A winter storm watch is in effect from 1 p.m. tomorrow until 1 p.m. Sunday.
Though the storm is still developing, the current forecast indicates Southold Town will get 6 to 8 inches of snow while Riverhead Town is looking at totals ranging from 3 to 5 inches, according to the NWS.
“Once the storm starts to really develop off the coast, Eastern Long Island appears to be the place that will have the highest snowfall total,” NWS meteorologist David Stark said Friday morning.
The snow is expected to start falling around noon and increase intensity overnight. Sustained winds of 25 to 45 mph are expected. Gusts could reach up to 60 mph, he said.
“That could bring down some tree limbs and power lines and create blowing snow conditions,” he said.
The winds will remain strong throughout Sunday afternoon, he added.
Even after the storm tappers off, the cold will persist, Mr. Stark said. The worst could come Monday morning when the wind chill could be as low as -20 degrees, he said.
“We have a very cold period up ahead,” Mr. Stark said. “The warmest temperate will probably be tomorrow. From there things just go downhill. We are not seeing any major warm up at all in the next 7 days.”
