STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island residents can expect a light coating of snow this weekend, followed by what could be the coldest temperatures of the winter season, according to AccuWeather.
A weather system moving in Friday night is expected to bring snowfall of less than an inch to the borough, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Matt Benz said.
“What we’re looking at now is a new system that will be moving in Friday night and into Saturday,” Benz explained. “That one could also bring the opportunity for some snow later tomorrow night into the start of Saturday for Staten Island and then switching over to maybe a rain snow mix during the day on Saturday.”
The transition from snow to a rain-snow mix during the day Saturday will help limit accumulation, though the light coating could still create hazardous travel conditions in some areas, Benz warned.
“It’d be less than an inch,” Benz said. “We’re probably looking at a coating.”
Benz noted that while the storm itself won’t bring significant winds, residents should be prepared for “some slippery travel, especially as you go north of Staten Island into New Jersey, the start of the day on Saturday.”
Staten Islanders can also breathe a sigh of relief regarding a previously forecast weekend storm. Weather models had earlier indicated the possibility of a more substantial storm system for Sunday, but that outlook has changed.
“There had been some indication with some computer models there could be perhaps a more significant storm for the second half of the weekend,” Benz said. “Right now that doesn’t appear to be on the table anymore. Just with how the weather systems are lining up.”
Instead, the storm is expected to track far offshore.
“This next storm may just stay well out to sea, which would keep us generally dry. Maybe a couple flurries for the area on Sunday,” he added.
Get ready for cold
However, the absence of a major storm doesn’t mean calm weather ahead. New York City is bracing for what could be the coldest air mass of the season early next week.
“As we head into Sunday, the wind will pick up, especially as we head into early next week on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday,” Benz said. “Just because a storm is well offshore doesn’t mean that we won’t see that wind ticking up as we head into early next week.”
The increasing winds will result in a dramatic drop in temperatures by Tuesday.
“That will signal a much colder air mass moving into the region, especially by Tuesday of next week. In fact, that could be the coldest air mass so far,” Benz said, cautioning about highs “probably stuck in the 20s for the day.”
The cold spell represents a stark contrast to the milder conditions Staten Island has enjoyed recently.
“We’ve had a relatively warm last week or so, last few days of at least the start of January, but going into next week definitely signals a colder trend, at least for a few days,” Benz noted. “It will be very cold on Tuesday, but the chill is likely to stick around through a good chunk of next week.”