Riverhead shoppers rush for supplies as monster storm approaches
It’s been a revolving door at Griffing Hardware this week as customers have been coming in frequently to grab their snowstorm essentials, including shovels and rock salt. Manager Todd Griffing said there has been a spike in birdseed sales at the store as well.
He sold one of his last snow shovels on Friday.
“It’s much busier than normal — [it] happens every blizzard, every large snowstorm or hurricane,” Mr. Griffing said.
The region is bracing for its worst snowstorm in four years, with the National Weather Service issuing a winter storm warning for all of Suffolk County from 3 a.m. Sunday until 6 p.m. Monday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday ahead of the storm.
Snow is expected to begin falling mainly after 7 a.m. Sunday, with up to a foot of accumulation possible during the day, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast calls for the heavy snowfall to turn into a wintry mix at night before changing to light snow that can drop an additional 2 to 4 inches overnight.
Thomas Santacroce, a Manorville resident and president of Lighthouse Security, walked out of Griffing Hardware with a large bag of rock salt to load into the back of his pickup truck on Friday.
During past storms, Mr. Santacroce, 65, said he would shovel around his home himself. However, with the encouragement of his wife, he said he decided it might be safer to pay for landscaper services this time around.
“You got to watch out, a lot of people have health issues when they shovel,” Mr. Santacroce said. “For this one, [the landscaping] is probably going to be a little extra, but it’s going to be worth it.”
With total accumulations between 10 and 14 inches expected, roads will become slick and hazardous, with visibility potentially dropping below one-quarter mile in heavy snow. Northeast winds will increase from 7 to 12 mph to 17 to 22 mph Sunday afternoon, with isolated gusts up to 40 mph possible.
The Riverhead and Wading River School districts will announce Sunday whether school will be canceled on Monday. Southold Town schools will also wait until Sunday to make a decision.
John Cool of Orient stocked his trunk with essentials from IGA Southold on Friday afternoon. He picked up a few groceries, but mainly made the trip to get jugs of water.
“Now they are predicting that we get ice, along with the snow, which can bring down the wires,” Mr. Cool said. “Based on what they’re saying, I think it’s going to be pretty bad.”
The last major snowstorm to hit the region was the Blizzard of 2022, when parts of the area were buried under two feet of snow.
Mattituck-Cutchogue School Superintendent Shawn Petretti recalled the challenges of that storm.
“It was a tremendous amount of snow and the biggest struggle for us was finding places to put the snow — and then heavy winds made blowing snow into roads and parking lots a big challenge,” Mr. Petretti said. “Especially here on the North Fork where it’s so open, it makes it a challenge to keep snow off the roads.”
Mr. Petretti said he plans to sprinkle birdseed on his driveway for traction — a common local practice that provides grip on icy surfaces without the chemicals in traditional ice melt.
Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin declared a winter storm emergency effective Saturday at 9 p.m. that will continue until the storm blows over.
All residents must remove their vehicles from the street by 9 p.m. Saturday to increase the effectiveness of snowplowing operations. The Riverhead Police Department is authorized to impound parked or abandoned vehicles that affect roadways during the storm.
Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski said the department will be preloading all its trucks on Friday with salt and sand so crews are ready once the first flakes drop. Mr. Zaleski advised residents to finish shopping for supplies by Saturday at the latest.
“If you don’t need to get out, please stay home. Please do not park anything on the roads,” he said. “With this amount of snow, be patient. Give us some time, and we’ll get the job done.”
Griffing Hardware will be open until 5 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday.
Event cancellations and postponements began rolling in Friday as the storm approached.
Riverhead Justice Court calendar has been canceled for Monday and all cases have been rescheduled to Wednesday, Feb. 11.
The North Fork Polar Bear Plunge, originally scheduled for Sunday morning at Veterans Beach in Mattituck, has been rescheduled to Sunday, Feb. 1. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the plunge will be held at 10 a.m.
PSEG Long Island said Thursday it has personnel ready to respond to any power outages caused by the storm. While the powdery snow that comes with extreme cold typically does not pose a threat to the electrical system, hazardous driving conditions could result in vehicles colliding with utility poles and damaging equipment.
The utility is encouraging customers to download its mobile app to report outages and receive restoration updates, or to report outages by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). Customers can also call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour electric service number at 800-490-0075.
Officials are reminding residents to check on neighbors, especially the elderly and homebound, and to bring pets indoors or ensure they have shelter. Residents should not shovel snow into the street and should remove snow and ice from sidewalks in front of their property.
In case of an emergency, dial 911 or call the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500.
Maureen’s Haven will provide shelter for this weekend’s storm on Sunday and Monday in Bridgehampton. Community members requiring transportation from Riverhead to Bridgehampton need to be at the Lincoln Street facility by 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24.
