Long Island weather forecast: 3-5 inches of snow this weekend, and 6 inches possible on the North Fork

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Long Island from Saturday evening through Sunday morning, with snow and sleet expected.

Between 3 and 5 inches of snow is predicted, with up to 6 inches possible on the North Fork, the weather service said.

The advisory warns Long Islanders to “slow down and use caution while traveling” from 5 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday, as in addition to snow accumulation “a light glaze of ice is also possible.”

Temperatures will reach a high of around 35 degrees Saturday before snow begins to fall around 4 p.m. in western Nassau County, reaching the East End around 7 p.m., according to Jay Engle, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Upton office.

The snow is expected to start changing to a mixture of snow and sleet around 11 p.m. Saturday, Engle said. The precipitation could change once more into freezing rain, before dying down around 9 a.m. Sunday, he said.

Roadways should be safe for travel to Super Bowl gatherings Sunday afternoon and evening, the meteorologist said.

“We are expecting temperatures in the afternoon to start to get into the upper 30s,” Engle said. “If you’re walking in a shaded area there could still be a little bit of ice, but for the most part, it’ll start to get a little slushy in the afternoon.”

The winter weather advisory, issued when the weather service is 80% confident an area will receive 3-5 inches of snow in 12 hours, is also in effect in New York City's five boroughs. 

A winter storm warning, which signals a forecast of 6 inches of snow in 12 hours or 8 inches in 24 hours, was issued for the Lower Hudson Valley, northeastern parts of New Jersey and southern areas of Connecticut. 

While Monday’s forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-30s, Long Islanders could once again watch snowflakes fall Tuesday evening. It’s too early to know the storm’s intensity, Engle said.

“It could get suppressed to the south,” he said. “There’s still some questions about it, like how far north it ultimately is going to get … Some guidance is making that system weaker."

There is also another chance of snow Wednesday night, Engle said.