Winter storm likely to bring rain, slush to Long Island beginning Monday night

A winter storm is expected to bring slushy and wet conditions to Long Island, starting Monday night and into Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

Long Islanders commuting the day after the Super Bowl will be met with a partly sunny Monday and temperatures in the upper 40s. Forecasters said the dry conditions are expected to last through midnight, before rain and wind gusts start to hit Long Island.

“Primarily after midnight, it’ll be chilly rain with temperatures in the 30s and then we start to mix with, and change to snow Tuesday, and end with snow Tuesday afternoon,” said Jim Connolly, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Long Islanders should prepare for slushy and wet road conditions Tuesday with wind chill values making it feel around 20 degrees throughout Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters said winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

“We’ve been seeing another winter with very few winter storms, so anytime we get a small storm, Long Islanders should be prepared for challenging travel conditions,” said meteorologist Rich Von Ohlen.

The area could see about an inch or two of snow through Tuesday night, the weather service said.

Von Ohlen noted that Long Island is subject to some moderate coastal flooding, including the South Shore, which has been hit hard in recent months with rainstorms.

Northeastern New Jersey to the lower Hudson Valley and parts of southern Connecticut could see snow of up to 5 to 9 inches, as the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch.

Tuesday’s conditions make way for a colder rest of the week, with temperatures dipping to the low to mid-30s.

Wednesday and Thursday will be sunny with temperatures in the 30s, but a chance of rain and snow showers is forecast for Thursday night. After a dry Friday, snow could return on Saturday, according to the weather service.