LONG ISLAND, NY — Christmas Eve on Long Island is set to begin with snow, according to the National Weather Service.
A special weather statement was issued Monday at 2:50 PM by the NWS office in Upton.
“A fast moving system will bring a band of light snow to the area Tuesday morning,” the statement said. “An overlay of less than 1 inch of snow accumulation is forecast. Roads will become snowbound due to the recent cold weather, resulting in slick travel conditions. Anyone planning to travel Tuesday morning should use extra caution. Snow accumulation will come to an end quickly late morning through midday, with temperatures rising into the mid and upper 30s in the afternoon.”
James Tomasini, a meteorologist at the NWS office in Upton, said the snow will begin Monday night and move west to east. The most likely time Long Islanders will be affected will be between 8 a.m. and noon, he said. About a tenth of an inch of snow to half an inch is expected, he said.
By Christmas Eve afternoon, temperatures are expected to climb above freezing and into the mid-30s, Tomasini said. Winds will be relatively light, around 10 mph out of the west.
Just in time for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, the snow is expected to clear by late Tuesday afternoon and remain dry through Christmas Day, Tomasini said. Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s on Christmas Eve across Long Island, with Christmas Day forecast to be dry and mostly sunny with highs in the 30s, he said.
