Frigid weather is on horizon for the next few days on Long Island and residents will see low temperatures that haven’t hit the area in over two years.
The National Weather Service said that temperatures in Suffolk County will drop down to the single degrees Wednesday night, with parts of the Pine Barrens hitting zero degrees. Nassau County is expected to be slightly warmer with temperatures around 10 or 11 degrees.
Wind chills could make temperatures feel below zero, meteorologist Dan Hofmann said, adding that the current stretch of frigid weather is expected to continue Thursday into Thursday night.
“The coldest of the weather is probably going to be for the next 36 hours,” Hofmann said. “Tomorrow’s highs are going to struggle to get out of the low 20s for most of Island and the wind chill is not going to get above zero.”
On Friday, temperatures will rise slightly into the 20s, but forecasters are watching a potential storm system that could hit late Friday and linger into Saturday morning. The exact track and amount of snowfall has yet to be determined.
The NWS warned residents to look out for frozen water pipes and fire sprinkler piping with the cold weather. Officials also advised residents to dress warmly to limit direct exposure and prevent frostbite and hypothermia.
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced that the WARMBED program is up and running through March 31 2012. Homeless individuals can call 1-866-WARMBED (1-866-927-6233) for shelter on evenings and weekends. During the weekday hours they are encouraged to routinely go to DSS at 60 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Uniondale.
The Long Island Rail Road also announced that all station waiting rooms will remain open around the clock until Monday due to the extended cold spell.
