Weather

Update: Riverhead schools closed Tuesday due to snow

Update, 10:30 a.m.: Highway Department crews salted the roads starting at 2 a.m. and then got to work clearing the snow, according to highway superintendent George “Gio” Woodson.

“It was only looking like two to three inches of snow, now it looks closer to eight inches,” he said.

He asked that people be patient, as there’s a layer of ice underneath the snow. The roads should be under control by the late afternoon, he said. Unlike the last snow storm, there aren’t strong wind conditions posing a problem in clearing the snow, he said.

Update, 9:30 a.m.: While Riverhead Town Hall is open, all senior and recreation programs for Tuesday were canceled.

Update, 8:40 a.m.: School officials in the Riverhead area have decided to close schools for the day, instead of just have a two-hour delayed start. The Riverhead School District, the Shoreham-Wading River School District, the Riverhead Charter School, and the Bishop McGann-Mercy School all canceled classes Tuesday.

Southampton Town officials also decided against opening Tuesday — they had initially decided on a two-hour delay.

Riverhead Town Hall remained open.

Originally, 7:43 a.m.: East Enders woke up Tuesday morning to more snow than expected.

The forecast Monday night was for one to two inches, but snow steadily fell overnight, leaving as much as six inches in some places on the East End, where the heaviest snow fell on Long Island. A winter weather advisory was issued for Long Island in the early morning hours and remains in effect until 10 a.m. 

Due to the messy morning commute, the Riverhead Central School District, the Shoreham-Wading River School District, the Riverhead Charter School, and Bishop McGann-Mercy School all have two-hour delayed starts.

Riverhead Town offices will open at 10 a.m. The town board work session scheduled that had been scheduled for the morning was pushed to 11 a.m.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith declared a winter storm event around 6 a.m., which meant no parking was permitted on either side of town roads and that town officials and police could take emergency action when necessary.

Southampton Town officials decided to open town offices and facilities on a two-hour delay, as well.

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