Snow Expected Monday Night for Riverhead, North Fork

Snow is on the way for Riverhead and North Fork residents Monday evening, experts predict.

According to David Stark, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Upton, light snow could begin late Monday afternoon as a band of snow begins to move in from the west.

Accumulation of one to three inches is expected on the East End, with closer to two inches expected in Riverhead, Stark said.

"The eastern part of Long Island, from Riverhead east, has a better chance of seeing more than an inch of moisture, and precipitation may last a bit longer than elsewhere on Long Island," he said.

The heaviest of the snow is expected to begin at 8 p.m, and taper off a few hours after midnight, Stark said; gusty winds will lead a blast of colder air to the area that's expected to last for the rest of the week.

Temperatures on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will "struggle" to reach the mid-20s, Stark said, with an average high temperature of around 25 degrees.

Wednesday and Thursday could see even lower temperatures, in the lower teens, with gusty winds of up to 30 miles per hour and wind chills making it feel as though temperatures are in the single digits or, at times, below zero.

Monday afternoon's temperatures were steady at 30 to 31 degrees and expected to drop, Stark said. Snow that falls on Monday, he said, "should stick on the roads."

The remainder of the week, he said, is expected to be dry and cold.

Toward the end of the week, on Friday, temperatures could warm a bit, Stark said, but added, "We're keeping an eye on a potential system -- it's just cold enough that we could see more precipitation. We're forecasting a chance of snow, but that could change, maybe to a rain/snow mix."

Monday's snow, Stark said, is a product of Sunday night's cold front and a low pressure system developing off coast that will "kick up" the snow on the East End Monday night.

Travelers, he said, should be aware that snow could lower visibility at times. "Use caution," Stark said. And, he added, looking ahead to the rest of the week: "Bundle up."