Long Island weather: Snow, sleet overnight, then rain Friday 

A winter storm that traveled cross-country will hit the region overnight and Friday, but Long Island is likely to get little snow and ice before a transition to plain rain, forecasters said.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for Queens and the North Shore of Nassau and northwestern Suffolk from 10 p.m. Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday, the weather service said.

The National Weather Service is calling for a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain Thursday evening extending into Friday, with plain rain expected Friday morning. Highs in the upper 30s are expected both days.

A coating to two inches of snow and sleet are expected, the highest amounts on the North Shore, and a possible "light glaze" of ice is forecast in the transition from snow to rain, the weather service said.

That could create hazardous travel conditions Thursday night and Friday, said the weather service, which warned that the Friday morning commute could be affected.

The timing of the storm is somewhat uncertain but as of Thursday evening the weather service put out this likely scenario, saying: "A mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain or rain developing around midnight. Any snow changes to a mix of freezing rain, sleet and rain after 4 a.m. near the coast, with a transition to plain rain by daybreak".

"A wintry mix of mainly sleet and freezing rain continues inland after daybreak. Plain rain pushes northward inland through late morning. Precipitation ends by early afternoon," the advisory said.

Friday, the temperature should rise to about 40 degrees, then drop to the 20s as the storm moves out and skies clear.

The weekend looks sunny with highs in the low 40s, forecasters said and sunshine will dominate much of next week with temperatures gradually warming up.

With John Valenti