Siberian cold front to land on Long Island next week, NWS says, bringing coldest air of season
Long Island is expected to see the coldest air of the winter next week, as an arctic cold front from Siberia is forecast to move into the region.
Temperatures will remain slightly above freezing this week, with a slight warmup into the 40s and rain forecast on Saturday. A light snow is predicted to arrive Sunday and Monday as temperatures drop, according to the National Weather Service.
"North America is going to be dominated by a really cold air mass and a high-pressure air system coming across the North Pole from Siberia," meteorologist Bill Goodman said. "It looks like the first direct air from the North Pole and the coldest air of the season."
The cold high-pressure system is moving arctic air through Canada, with highs in the 20s on Monday — which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day — and overnight lows in the teens, according to the weather service. Wind chills may make it feel like the single digits.
The cold air may be so overwhelming that it could work against the potential for significant snowfall on Long Island, Goodman said. The cold air over most of the nation can make it difficult for the right pattern to pass over Long Island and not veer south as the past few storms have gone.
"Especially this winter, the long-range models are not to be trusted. You really have to wait to see if the ingredients are there for a snowstorm," he said.
Trump sworn in as 47th president ... MLK Day celebrated on LI ... Surfer drowns at Gilgo Beach ... Basketball team keeps in the family
Trump sworn in as 47th president ... MLK Day celebrated on LI ... Surfer drowns at Gilgo Beach ... Basketball team keeps in the family