Winter Storm Watch For Port

Get the shovels, snow blowers and rock salt ready – Long Island is in for a big snowstorm beginning Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for all of Long Island, including Nassau and Suffolk counties, for Friday afternoon through Saturday morning as a classic Nor'easter churns its way up the coast starting Thursday evening.

The low-pressure storm is expected to deepen and intensify off of the New Jersey and LI coastlines, wrapping in more cold air from the north and bringing down even more precipitation in its wake.

According to the watch issued by the National Weather Service, the storm will bring snow accumulations of 6-10 inches across the Island, with locally higher amounts possible depending on the track of the storm.

Some forecast models, including the European Model that tracked Hurricane Sandy perfectly almost a week out in October, are calling for 8-14 inches of snow across the region.

Winds associated with the storm could bring down trees, power lines and create white-out conditions as sustained winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph could be felt locally.

Flooding concerns will also come along with this storm, as coastal areas should prepare for another round of minor flooding.

Areas north of Long Island, including Rhode Island and the eastern Massachusetts area are under blizzard watches as the storm is expected to dump historic amounts of snow in those locations.

A Winter Storm Watch is issued by the National Weather Service when there is potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulation that may impact travel within the next 48 hours.

Stay tuned to Patch as we continue to monitor the nor'easter.