Storm Recap: More than a foot of snow blankets area following blizzard
5:45 p.m.
As the blizzard winds down, the digging out begins. See photos from around Wading River Saturday afternoon as the snowstorm moves out of the area.
4 p.m.
Power outages have been scarce during Saturday’s storm, but the first in Riverhead Town were reported around Jacobs Lane. The 64 customers affected are expected to have their outage restored by 7 p.m., according to PSEG Long Island.
• A fatality related to Saturday’s storm has been reported in Cutchogue. Town police said an elderly man shoveling snow fell into a swimming pool and died. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. Here’s what we know so far.
2:30 p.m.
Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski said there’s no end in sight for plowing efforts that began at 10 p.m. Friday for a nor’easter that’s dropped more than a foot of snow across the region.
“This is some long lasting snow, and not just the snow, but the wind,” he said. “The wind keeps plaguing our efforts. We were plowing the same roads over and over. But we haven’t lost any roads yet, and we are on top of things. We’re just extremely busy.”
It helps, he said, that people are staying off the roads. He also noticed very few accidents or cars parked in the road.
“I don’t know if they’re actually following the law or is this happening because it’s a weekend, or maybe it’s because the snow totals scared everybody,” Mr. Zaleski said. “This gives us the time we need to do our job.”
Mr. Zaleski said at one point he was plowing Roanoke Avenue in the vicinity of Sound Avenue and by the time he reached the Route 58 traffic circle “it didn’t even look like I was [plowing]” the road behind him.
“We have all hands on deck, including me and my deputy, they’re here working,” he said.
He expects the plowing to continue past midnight.
12:45 p.m.
Saturday’s storm has officially been declared a blizzard in Suffolk County, the National Weather Service reported.
A storm meets the criteria when winds reach 35 miles per hour or more with less than a quarter-mile visibility for over three hours, the NWS said.
12:30 p.m.
A blizzard warning will remain in effect through 7 p.m. with heavy blowing snow across the North Fork, according to the latest information from the National Weather Service.
An additional eight inches of snow is expected to fall by late afternoon, with totals reaching 24 inches. The most recent North Fork snow total released by the National Weather Service was reported by a member of the public, who measured the accumulation at 14 inches at 9 a.m.
Wind is steady at 35 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph. Wind chill with the gusts drops below zero.
The PSEG Outage Map shows a band of current outages on Oregon Road in Cutchogue, from Depot Lane east to Bridge Lane impacting 43 customers.
11 a.m.
As the snow continues to fall across the North Fork, wind gusts over 50 miles per hour have been reported in both towns.
In Baiting Hollow, a gust of 55 mph was recorded at 9:10 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. About an hour earlier, a 51 mph gust was tracked in Southold hamlet.
Despite the nor’easter, officials have said there’s very little to report in terms of damage. Southold Town Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin said visibility on the roadways are a challenge. Police chief Martin Flatley added that a power outage in Cutchogue was the only one so far. PSEG Long Island, meanwhile, reported that outage was quickly restored.
Riverhead Town has not yet dealt with power outages today.
The latest radar reports show the snow should continue to fall through the afternoon, as expected.
9 a.m.
The National Weather Service released its first official snowfall totals from the nor’easter. A trained spotter in Orient reported 12 inches had already fallen as of 8 a.m. NWS staff reported nine inches near Brookhaven Lab in Upton.
PSEG Long Island is still reporting that there has been no outages on the North Fork.
7 a.m.
The National Weather Service has once again increased its snowfall projections for Saturday’s nor’easter, saying as much as 18-24 inches is likely for the North Fork.
The service, in its 5 a.m. announcement, said the update was based on radar trends and overnight snowfall reports of 5-7 inches across Long Island.
Snowfall rates will continue to increase through daybreak across the region,” the NWS reported in its 5 a.m. special weather statement. “Rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour are possible with locally up to three inches per hour. Strong winds will create blowing and drifting of snow.”
Those conditions could continue into the afternoon, the NWS said.
A blizzard warning remains into effect until 7 p.m. Saturday with a coastal flood advisory issued through midnight. The NWS’s blizzard warning reiterated that more than a foot of snow could fall on top of what accumulated overnight. Wind gusts could still reach as high as 60 mph.
“Travel will be very difficult to impossible,” the warning reads. “Strong winds could cause tree damage.”
PSEG Long Island on Saturday morning was reporting only scattered outages across Long Island, with none on the North Fork. In Montauk, there were 95 customers without power as of 7 a.m., according to the utility’s outage map.
Check back for updates as the storm develops and new information becomes available throughout the day Saturday.
