Hempstead, New York – St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across Long Island could arrive with a late-season reminder of winter as colder air pushing south from Canada raises the risk of snow during the week leading into the first day of spring.
According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s 8–14 day outlook, the period from March 15 through March 21 shows above-normal precipitation probabilities across the Northeast, while temperatures trend below seasonal averages across much of the eastern United States. The pattern forms as a broad cold boundary stretches from northern New England through the Great Lakes and south toward Georgia and parts of Florida, allowing colder air to spread down the East Coast.
For Long Island, the overlap of moisture and colder air could affect Hempstead, Islip, Brookhaven, Huntington, and Riverhead, where storm systems tracking near the coast could produce late-season snow or rain changing to snow during St. Patrick’s Day week.
Drivers along Interstate 495 (Long Island Expressway), Northern State Parkway, Southern State Parkway, and Sunrise Highway should monitor conditions if storms organize during the period. Late-season snow can quickly create slick bridges and reduced visibility during early morning travel.
The timing stands out as daylight saving time begins this weekend, yet winterlike conditions may persist across the Northeast even as the first day of spring arrives later that week.
Forecasters will refine the potential storm track and temperature trends over the coming days, and additional advisories could be issued if coastal systems align with the colder air mass over the region.
