Cold snap rings in New Year on Shelter Island
It couldn’t last forever, although many Islanders were hoping that the Weather Gods had forgotten that in January it’s normal to be cold.
After an unseasonably warm December, snow flurries briefly blitzed the Island yesterday as temperatures dropped to 32 degrees.
The temperatures continued to plummet last night, causing the National Weather Service to issue a hazardous weather outlook. The NWS warned “the combination of strong northerly winds and temperatures falling into the teens will result in wind chill values near zero late tonight and into Tuesday morning.”
Brain Ciemnecai, a meteorologist with the NWS, said the temperatures will remain below freezing throughout the day and tonight, adding that he “wouldn’t be surprised if a few areas were in the single digits.”
He advised people to bundle up in order to be fully prepared for the cold weather. And, should today’s flurries continue, drivers should be aware that a dusting of snow could make the roads slick.
People won’t have to suffocate under coats, hats and gloves for long, however, as temperatures are projected to increase as the week continues. Wednesday the “weather will rebound” the NWS predicts, and temperatures will be in the lower 40s. Thursday and Friday are both expected to be around 45 degrees.
According to NWS, last month was one of the warmest Decembers on record for Long Island and the entire Northeast, with the average temperature 47.7 degrees at the Islip station between December 1 and 20. That was 10.5 degrees above the normal December temperature on record there.
