Get ready for a blast of cold air across Long Island Thursday night through Saturday, with wind chills of between 10 and 20 degrees below zero expected, experts said.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Long Island this weekend: “A dangerously cold air mass is expected to settle over the region Friday and Saturday. Wind chills values during this time may fall to as low as 10 to 20 below zero for coastal locations, and 25 below in the interior,” the NWS said.
John Cristantello, meteorologist at the NWS office at Upton, said the frigid temperatures will be caused by a cold front moving in from Canada, pushing southward through the tri-state area, beginning late Thursday night into Friday morning.
A particularly cold air mass will settle in behind it, with temperatures first thing Friday starting in the upper 20s and falling slowly throughout the day. At the same time Friday, there will be sustained winds of about 15 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts of 30 to 35 miles per hour. Temperatures are expected to plummet during the day to the single digits and, as the cold air continues to funnel in overnight, hover in the low single digits Friday night.
With the wind gusts and icy temps, wind chills are expected to range between 10 and 20 degrees below zero, Cristantello said.
There’s good news, however: The cold front is expected to pass through with no snow — and it won’t last long. Saturday’s temperatures are expected to hit the high 20s and, as the wind shifts toward the south, will continue to rise to the lower to mid-40s for Sunday.
“It’s a quick shot of cold air,” he said.
