Mother Nature is expected to blanket the island with a heavy snowfall Friday, with high winds that could create near-blizzard-like conditions, experts said Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for all of Long Island, including Nassau and Suffolk counties, for Friday afternoon through Saturday morning as a classic Nor'easter churns its way up the coast starting Thursday evening.
The low-pressure storm is expected to deepen and intensify off of the New Jersey and Long Island coastlines, wrapping in more cold air from the north and bringing down even more precipitation in its wake.
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According to the watch issued by the National Weather Service (NOAA), the storm will bring snow accumulations of 6 inches to 10 inches across Long Island, with locally higher amounts possible depending on the track of the storm.
Some forecast models, including the European Model that tracked Hurricane Sandy perfectly almost a week out in October, are calling for between 8 inches to 14 inches of snow across Long Island.
Winds associated with the storm could bring down trees, power lines and create white-out conditions as sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 60 miles per hour could be felt locally.
Flooding concerns will also come along with this storm, as coastal areas should prepare for another round of minor flooding.
Areas north of Long Island, including Rhode Island and the eastern Massachusetts area are under blizzard watches as the storm is expected to dump historic amounts of snow in those locations.
A Winter Storm Watch is issued by NOAA when there is potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulation that may impact travel within the next 24-to-48 hours.
