More Snow Expected To Fall On Friday

Mother Nature could soon be sending another blast of winter to Riverhead and the North Fork.

According to Joey Picca, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office at Upton, the forecast for Friday calls for snow, primarily later in the day and into the overnight hours.

Although on Tuesday, it was originally thought the potential for accumulation could be more signficant -- with snowfall over five inches -- Picca said as of Wednesday, the new forecast calls for accumulation to be on the lighter side, with a total accumulation of one to four inches expected across the East End.

"That's the most likely scenario, although there is still some small possibility that it could be a little lower or higher than that," Picca said.

The snowfall, Picca said, is slated to be the result of a high pressure system that is expected to "dive out of the Great Lakes Region in the midwest" toward the northeast.

"As it moves through our area, you will see precipitation develop, and obviously, with very cold air, we are expecting it to fall in the form of snow," Picca said.

Temperatures Friday are expected to be slightly warmer across the East End than they were on Wednesday and Thursday -- generally in the mid-20s with lows Friday morning expected to be in the single digits to teens.

Picca added that Wednesday's temperatures are below normal. Recorded temperatures in Islip are expected to reach 15 to 20 degrees on Wednesday, Picca said -- normal high temperatures for this time of year are usually in the high to upper 30s -- so temperatures are ranging to 15 to 20 degrees below normal.