A white Christmas unlikely for Long Island after light morning snowfall

Parts of Long Island were frosted for a white Christmas Eve as a coating of snow fell Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said.

Bryan Ramsey, a weather service meteorologist, said the service recorded a tenth of an inch of snow in Islip, underperforming from a predicted half-inch of snow.

The flakes moved through New York City and Long Island around 7 a.m.

“The farther east you go on Long Island, the less accumulation you’re going to get,” Ramsey said.

A special weather statement remained in effect for Nassau and western Suffolk, as roads will become snow-covered and slippery due to the recent cold weather, the service said.

Tuesday will still feel cold, although temperatures will reach highs of above freezing, Ramsey said.

The sun and warmer temperatures returned Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s also going to depend on how warm it gets today, and we're going to see a return to the sunshine, which will help probably melt and compact some of that snow,” Ramsey said.

Wednesday will see temperatures remaining in the 30s with lows in the 20s, but the remainder of the week will be dry, sunny and warmer.

By Friday temperatures will go back to highs in the low 40s and Saturday will reach the mid 40s.

Rain is expected to return to Long Island Sunday night into Monday morning.