A blast of winter weather is headed back to Southold and Riverhead Wednesday night, bringing high winds, a sharp drop in temperatures and the possibility of light snow.
According to Joe Pollina, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Upton, light rain that is slated to begin Wednesday afternoon will continue, along with a drop in temperatures.
“We’re going to get pretty cold tonight,” Pollina said. Rain will continue through 2 a.m., when precipitation will turn to a rain/snow mixture as a cold front moves through the area. Temperatures will drop from around 51 degrees Wednesday afternoon to a low of around 22 degrees tonight, Pollina said.
Significant snow accumulation is not forecast, Pollina said. “If we get a light coating, that will be it,” he said, adding that about a quarter inch of rain is expected.
According to the NWS, residents should pepare for a possible pre-dawn flash freeze on Thursday morning affecting the rush hour as temperatures plummet into the 20s and teens, with residual water ponding on roads and sidewalks freezing.
“Black ice could be a problem,” Pollina said.
Snow showers will continue Thursday morning, with a high of only 26 degrees expected for Thursday. Thursday night will remain partly cloudy, with a low of around 13 degrees, and northwest winds ranging from 20 to 25 miles per hour, and gusts close to 40 miles an hour, Pollina said. Those winds are expected to to diminish after midnight to 15 to 20 miles per hour.
Friday will bring higher temps of around 40 degrees, along with sunny skies, Pollina said.
