Up to 8 Inches of Snow, Maybe More, Forecast for Long Island

Snow is forecast to start falling Tuesday morning on Long Island

A winter storm forecast to bring 6 to 8 inches of snow to Long Island may dump even more white stuff on the region, depending upon what path the nor’easter takes Monday into Tuesday, experts say.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm watch for Nassau and Suffolk counties from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and a coastal flood advisory for the South Shore of Nassau from 8 a.m. Monday to 10 a.m. Tuesday. Precipitation is expected to change from rain to snow around 6 a.m. and mid-morning, with potential snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour during the Tuesday morning commute.

“Things have trended colder, so I would expect as you get this afternoon’s forecast that you’ll see the high end for Long Island is probably going to go up,” said Nelson Vaz, an Upton-based NWS meteorologist. “We’ll see what kind of adjustments we make to the expected snowfall.”

The storm is forecast to dump a foot or more of snow on parts of the tristate area beyond Long Island. The heavy, wet snow is likely to down tree limbs and utility lines, resulting in power outages. Travel disruptions such as canceled flights are possible, as are school snow days or delayed starts.

Vaz added that the storm will bring a heavy, wet snow that will be harder to shovel, with some light powdery snow at the end.

Once the storm clears the area, temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s the rest of the week, causing icy conditions, with a 40% chance of more rain and snow on Thursday.