LI Snow Tracker: Forecasters Have 'High Confidence' In Strong, Offshore System With Potential To Pummel Area

LONG ISLAND, NY — It's a waiting game for forecasters looking to determine whether or not another major storm will hit Long Island this weekend — or whether the weather event will just "graze" the area, the National Weather Service said.

According to James Tomasini, meteorologist with the NWS Office in Upton, there is "high confidence in a strong offshore system. Right now, it looks like it's passing far enough to the southeast that it may graze us — but there's still room for this to trend further toward Newark and bring more of a heavy snowfall northwestward. There's going to be a storm out there — it's just a matter of how close it will get to our area," he said.

Should the snow hit Long Island, "there is confidence" that the storm will come Saturday night into Sunday, Tomasini said.

On Tuesday, the NWS said confirmed that Long Island could be hit with another round of snow this weekend.

The National Weather Service offered information Tuesday morning on X regarding " a potentially significant coastal storm this weekend. Chances have increased for impactful snow and/or wind along the immediate East Coast, but uncertainty remains rather high with respect to details. Be sure to keep checking for updates."

Cold temperatures are expected to persist in the region through the next week. At the same time, a "high-altitude disturbance" will come out of Canada late in the week, leading to a "strong" surface low-pressure system. "This surface low interacting with the very cold air mass will result in widespread heavy precipitation," the NWS said.