LI Bracing For 'Dangerous Temperatures, Wind Chills' Saturday Night Into Sunday; Here's A Timeline: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island is bracing for some of the coldest temperatures its seen in years this weekend, with wind chills making it feel as though it's up to 20 degrees below 0 Saturday night, the National Weather Service said.

According to David Stark, meteorologist with the NWS office in upon, Long Island will see a period of light snow Friday night between 8 p.m. and midnight; the snow is expected to last through much of the night.

Next, he said, an Arctic cold front is slated to sweep through the region beginning at daybreak, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. During the morning hours, a window of heavier snow showers or a brief snow squall "may get intense, for a brief window," Stark said.

The light snow could linger into the early afternoon, especially across eastern Long Island, Stark said.

Snow totals will generally be on the light side, with 1 to 2 inches expected across Nassau and Suffolk; the East End, especially areas such as Montauk or Orient, could see up to 3 or 4 inches of snow, Stark said.

The snow is expected to wrap by mid-afternoon Saturday and then, Stark said, "The main story is just the cold."

Temperatures Saturday morning are expected to begin in the low 20s but drop "significantly" throughout the day, Stark said, ranging from the teens in the early afternoon, plummeting to about 0 degrees at sunset — and then, dipping into the single digits overnight.

On Sunday, those temperatures should only rise into the early teens, with another night of single digits expected Sunday night — before rising into the 20s on Monday and close to freezing on Tuesday, Stark said.

The weekend's blast of frigid weather will be caused by wind chills, Stark said.

An extreme cold warning is in effect for Long Island from Saturday morning through 1 p.m. on Sunday, he said. On Saturday, sustained winds of 30 miles per hour are anticipated, with gusts of up to 40 to 50 miles per hour in the afternoon and evening during the peak period, Stark added.

Those winds will make it feel below 0 degrees on Saturday afternoon; Saturday evening, the temperatures will feel as though it's between 0 degrees and minus-five degrees, Stark said. Later Saturday night, those numbers will plunge even further, with wind chills making it feel as though it's about minus-10 to minus-20 degrees late Saturday night and into early Sunday morning, Stark said.

"Those are dangerous wind chill levels," Stark said. "If you're outside for prolonged periods of even 15 minutes or more, exposed skin may lead to frost bite and hypothermia Saturday evening into Sunday morning," he said.

Stark said that although Sunday's temperatures will rise into the teens, wind chills will make it feel as though it's 0 degrees all day; later on Sunday it will remain very cold, with temperatures in the single digits Sunday night and wind chills making it feel as though it's minus-5 degrees Sunday night into Monday morning for school drop offs and the morning commute.

Stark said residents should remain aware of the dangers: "If you don't have to be outside Saturday evening into Sunday morning — don't. And if you do, bundle up, wear layers, a hat and gloves — and try to limit how much your skin is exposed."