Band Of 'Intense Snow' Could Drop 3 Inches An Hour On Suffolk

The National Weather Service is warning of an "area of intense snow" with winds gusting up to 45 mph that will quickly drop visibilities on Suffolk County roadways to near zero Thursday morning.

Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour, possibly up to 3 inches per hour, are expected with this band of snow.

Travel is not recommended this morning (or really at any point today), the NWS says.

The band of heavy snow will be near:

• Shirley and Mastic around 750 a.m.
• Yaphank around 755 a.m.
• Medford and Patchogue around 8 a.m.
• Coram and Holbrook around 8:05 a.m.
• Ronkonkoma and Farmingville around 810 a.m.
• Islip and Centereach around 815 a.m.
• Brentwood and Hauppauge around 820 a.m.
• Commack and Smithtown around 825 a.m.
• Huntington Station and Huntington around 830 a.m.

A blizzard warning is in effect in Suffolk until 1 a.m. Friday. A total of 9-12 inches of snow is expected to accumulate with locally higher amounts possible.

Winds gusting as high as 55 mph will cause whiteout conditions in blowing snow. Significant drifting of the
snow is likely. Damage to trees and power lines is possible, causing scattered power outages. Stay tuned for updates on the storm and sign up for Patch news and weather alerts if you aren't already subscribed.

The full forecast:

Thursday- Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Areas of blowing snow. High near 29. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Windy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph increasing to 29 to 34 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.

Thursday Night- A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before 9pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 10. Wind chill values between -5 and 5. Windy, with a west wind 23 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.

Friday- Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 14. Wind chill values between -5 and -10. Windy, with a west wind 22 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.

Friday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. Wind chill values between -5 and -10. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph.

Saturday- Sunny and cold, with a high near 12. Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 22 mph.

Saturday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 4.

Sunday- Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 20.