Rain, Gusty Winds, Snow in the Long Island Forecast

The temperature approached 60 degrees on Long Island Monday, but the start of March is about to remind everyone that it’s certainly still winter.

Two storm systems may impact the island this week, one that will almost certainly bring rain and gusty winds, and the other that has a chance to bring snow near the end of the work week.

Rain is expected to begin late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning and then continue through the morning on Wednesday. Temperatures will also be back into the 30s during the day on Wednesday.

The next chance for precipitation, this time in the form of snow, will come Thursday night. At the moment, the National Weather Service says there’s a 30 percent chance of snow on Thursday night and a 40 percent chance of snow on Friday.

However, the late week forecast is far from certain.

“The reason the forecast is uncertain is that the batch of energy in the upper atmosphere that would be responsible for developing this snowmaker is still over the north-central Pacific Ocean,” according to weather.com.

The NWS says some models show the storm being a “definite hit,” while others show the storm missing Long Island well to south.

“The energy in question should reach the West Coast somewhere in the next 24-36 hours,” the NWS said in a forecast discussion. “Certainty should begin to increase after that point.”

Here’s the full forecast:

• Tuesday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 30 and 40. Northwest wind 6 to 13 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
• Tuesday Night- Rain likely, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 47 by 2am. Southeast wind 11 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Wednesday- Rain, mainly before noon. Temperature falling to around 39 by 5pm. Wind chill values between 30 and 40. Breezy, with a south wind 21 to 23 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Wednesday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 21. Northwest wind 11 to 17 mph.
• Thursday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 35.
• Thursday Night- A chance of snow after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Friday- A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Friday Night- A chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 30%.