Weather

Motorists urged to avoid Sound Avenue, north-south roads on northside

Saturday, 7 a.m.

Riverhead Town Police said stalled vehicles from motorists attempting to navigate Sound Avenue in Riverhead are creating a safety hazard.

“Due to the Wind and drifting snow, the Riverhead Police advise all motorist traveling throughout the north end of the township including Sound Ave, and All North South roadways from Sound Ave. are subject to snowdrifts and are impassible,” police said in a statement Saturday morning. “We currently have numerous motorist stuck in the snowdrifts creating a hazard by abandoning vehicles in the roadway and hindering snow plow operation.”

Police are asking drivers to avoid those roads until further notice.

The National Weather Service has also issued a wind chill advisory through 10 a.m. Wind chills can be as low as 20-below, the NWS said in its advisory for the region.

Friday, 7 p.m.

Town officials have been forced to close several roads due to high wind blowing snow across the roads, making for hazardous travel conditions.

Roads that run north/south and roads adjacent to open fields are particularly problematic. Travel is not recommended Friday evening, officials cautioned.

While the state of emergency is no longer in effect, residents must still remove vehicles from the street to increase effectiveness of snowplowing.

The following roads are closed Friday evening:

  • Reeves Avenue from Roanoke Avenue to Horton Avenue
  • Herricks Lane
  • Twomey Avenue from Sound Avenue to Youngs Avenue
  • Roanoke Avenue from Green Tree Drive to Reeves Avenue
  • Sound Avenue from Horton Avenue to Roanoke Avenue
  • Hulse Landing Road from Sound Avenue to Route 25A

The National Weather Service has a wind chill advisory in effect until 8 a.m. Sunday. Wind chills are expected to range from 5 below zero to 20 below zero.

“The cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed skin,” the NWS advisory says.