Winter Storm Expected To Bring Rain, Not Snow, To LI This Weekend: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — The winter storm forecast for the region may end up meaning a rainy weekend for Long Island, experts said Thursday.

According to Dominic Ramunni, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, Long Islanders are "looking at primarily a rain event, late Saturday into Sunday."

A low pressure area is expected to develop off the mid-Atlantic Coast, he said. "Given the track, we are looking at a little milder air, enough to produce mainly rain for much of Long Island," Ramunni said.

As for snow, he said, "We can't rule out a little bit of wiggle room — this might begin or end as a little bit of snow."

If snow does fall, accumulations could reach about an inch on the high end or a bit more, closer to New York City, he said.

Temperatures are expected to be toward the upper 30s Saturday night into Sunday, when the peak impacts of the storm are expected, he said.

Long Island could see sustained winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour, and up to 30 miles an hour on the East End, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour Saturday night into Sunday, before the storm "starts to quiet" on Sunday evening, Ramunni said. The winds could mean some downed trees and isolated power outages, he said.

Those wishing for a blast of Mother Nature's wintry white may be disappointed, he said. "Unfortunately, for the snow lovers out there, this won't be for them."

Looking into the middle of next week, another storm system, perhaps a bit more powerful, is expected to hit Long Island, with possibly significant rainfall, Ramunni said.