Long Island forecast: Up to 9 inches of snow possible Friday into Saturday

A winter storm is expected to dump between 5 and 9 inches of snow by late Friday, with flurries starting toward sunset and accumulation beginning between 6 and 8 p.m., during the busy year-end travel season, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow will begin tapering off early Saturday morning, according David Stark, a weather service meteorologist. 

The weather service expects accumulation to be between 5 and 9 inches, with a worst-case scenario of up to 10 inches in some places, he said. 

The storm is expected to intensify quickly Friday, dropping between 1 and 2 inches an hour for the first half of Friday evening, according to the service, which issued a winter storm warning for all of Long Island and New York City, northeastern New Jersey and parts of southern Connecticut from 4 p.m. Friday, slightly later on the East End, until 1 p.m. Saturday.

The weather could snarl travel during one of the year's busiest travel periods.

The Port Authority previously estimated area airports will see about 5.7 million passengers from Monday through Jan. 4, and 9.1 million cars will pass through its bridges and tunnels. The agency is tracking the weather and recommends travelers check with airlines for flight information and the Federal Aviation Administration website for updates.

Some meteorologists and state officials urged motorists to stay off the roads, which could turn slick and dangerous.

“Try to avoid travel as you get towards Friday afternoon and Friday evening, because it's going to come in very fast and heavy. ... It’s going to snow pretty heavy for about four or five hours,” meteorologist Jay Engle said.

It’s too soon to say whether any snowfall records will be broken, but parts of Suffolk County saw significant accumulation earlier this month when as much as 8.5 inches fell in Commack on Dec. 14, Newsday reported.

According to the weather service, the eastern end of Long Island could see less snow than Nassau County and New York City.

But Engle said that could change because it’s unclear where the heaviest snow bands will be. The precipitation will begin as dry, powdery flakes before becoming wetter overnight into Saturday, according to the weather service. "It will also compact," said meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki, also in the Upton office. "Anytime you have heavy snow, it's hard to move it. People that are shoveling should take precautions," such as staying hydrated, taking breaks and seeking medical attention if they experience chest pains.

"It doesn't take a lot of snow to start giving people health issues," Ciemnecki added.

The state Labor Department has advised that workers limit outdoor activity or schedule it for the warmest part of the day, take frequent breaks in warm areas and stay hydrated with warm, noncaffeinated beverages. Anyone spending time outdoors also should wear "at least three layers of clothing," gloves, heavy socks and insulated headwear and footwear, a release issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul's office stated.

The approaching system likely will bring a fast drop in temperatures, too, the weather service said. Highs Friday and Saturday likely won’t move past the low 30s, with overnight temperatures Friday in the 20s. Following the predicted snowfall Friday and Saturday, the weather service is calling for a good chance of rain Sunday night.

Newsday's Matt Chayes, John Valenti and Nicholas Grasso contributed to this story.

By Lorena Mongelli

lorena.mongelli@newsday.com

Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.