Winter weather will disrupt Valentine’s Day celebrations across the East End — or give lovers a good reason to snuggle up by the fire.
The National Weather Service says East End residents can expect near-blizzard conditions at the height of the storm tomorrow night. The weather agency has issued a winter storm watch for the East End, which is in effect from 1 p.m. tomorrow through 1 p.m. Sunday.
Northwest winds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph will cause heavy snow to drift late Saturday night into Sunday, making travel difficult, according to the weather service. A high wind watch has also been issued.
Four to eight inches of accumulations are expected on the East End, with the potential for just two to four inches in western portions of the island and the NYC metro area.
Currently the East End is experiencing wind chill vallues of 10 to 20 degrees below zero this morning. That will moderate only to zero to 10 below this afternoon.
Riverhead Town will open the human resource center on Shade Tree Lane as a warming center today from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for residents without heat. After hours, contact the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500. (For emergencies, dial 911.)
Light snow will develop late tomorrow morning, the weather service says. A brief period of moderate to heavy snow is possible across NYC/NJ metro area and points north and west of the city Saturday evening and Saturday night, but “the most intense snow banding potential for longest duration appears to be across eastern Connecticut and Long Island Saturday night into early Sunday morning, according to NWS forecasters. Snow should taper off later Saturday night across the NYC metro region, as main banding develops to the east and an upper low passes, but heavier snow banding could continue into Sunday morning across eastern Long Island and southeast Connecticut, the weather service said.
Snow should taper off across eastern Long Island and southeast Connecticut Sunday afternoon, according to the forecast. Wind chills could drop to 10 to 15 degrees below zero by Sunday afternoon.
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