The weather will be quiet and calm to end the week for Long Island. With the weekend in view, a storm may be brewing to give the area a shot of rain and snow.
A mild and rainy Wednesday resulted in precipitation totals of nearly a third of an inch and highs in the 40s. Despite the warmth, February 2013 is still over two degrees below normal for the month with a week to go (data at MacArthur Airport). Rainfall totals are now well above normal for this month, but since last year, there is still a slight concern for water levels as the calendar turns to spring.
Thursday and Friday will be calm, but will feature a good deal of sunshine. Highs on Thursday reach the mid 30s with a biting wind remaining. Friday, clouds increase late in the day, highs should break 40 degrees. Overnight lows to end the week will be in the 20s, but the Pine Barrens could see the teens Thursday night.
A late-week storm that brough snow to the Western desert, will bring snow and ice to the Plains and then push east. Blizzard conditions are possible in the Great Lakes, while heavy rain and thunderstorms are possible in the Southeast. For Long Island, we won't see much of the effects of this storm until late Friday at the earliest. Some of the precipitation dries out once it approaches the East coast. Then it spawns another area of low pressure that rides up the coast for the weekend.
Indications so far from the latest computer models indicate a scattered rain/snow shower late Friday. Then when the second low gets going, rain develops on Saturday, which may start as snow. There is a question of how far north and west the warm air goes, which would determine the effects of this storm mainly for New England. For Long Island, it looks mostly wet at this time, with a shot of snow on the backend into Sunday morning.
As with any long-range forecast, things may change. Stay tuned.
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