Riverhead prepares for more snow after Winter Storm Fern dumps nearly a foot

Fern-geddaboudit!

Just days after digging out from Winter Storm Fern, Riverhead residents could be hit with more flakes this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The forecast calls for a 40% chance of snow after 1 a.m. Sunday and a 50% chance Sunday during the day, with temperatures plunging to 7 degrees Friday night — the coldest of the season so far.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin called town-wide efforts during Winter Storm Fern “top of the line.” For this next potential winter weather event, the level of preparation will be no different.

Police officers and volunteer first responders will be out checking on people, shelter options will be available to individuals who need them and, as always, the Riverhead Senior Center is prepared to open as a warming center if temperatures drop drastically.

“It’s just a constant, not just preparing, not just handling what’s happening, but also, looking into the future,” Mr. Halpin said Tuesday.

Riverhead Highway Department Superintendent Mike Zaleski said his crews are already preparing for the potential weekend storm, restocking salt and sand supplies and repairing equipment damaged by Fern’s fury.

“Whatever the case may be, we have to Band-Aid the fleet back together,” Mr. Zaleski said in a Monday interview after finishing a 29-hour shift. “We’re using these next few days to get ready.”

The preparation comes after highway crews successfully cleared all roads following Sunday and Monday’s winter storm, which dumped the largest snowfall total on the region since 2022. Flanders received 11.4 inches, Baiting Hollow had 10 inches and Riverhead recorded 9.4 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm closed all schools Monday in the Riverhead Central and Shoreham-Wading River school districts, which both implemented two-hour delays Tuesday. Municipal buildings and most businesses were also closed.

The bubble roof of the Ed Westfall Arena at Veterans Memorial Park in Calverton sagged under heavy snow accumulation, forcing the temporary closure of the ice rink named for the New York Islanders legend.

Town officials evacuated the facility Monday afternoon and placed “unsafe structure” placards on the building Tuesday morning. The $2.3 million arena, which opened in 2022, will remain closed until a licensed structural engineer can assess the dome’s integrity.

“This is our first major snow event since taking possession of the Ed Westfall Arena and we hope to have the building back up and running very soon, so residents and visitors to Veterans Memorial Park can get back to skating activities during the winter months,” Mr. Halpin said.

Mr. Halpin, elected in November, spent his first major storm riding along with Mr. Zaleski to clear roads and held meetings with other department heads to ensure safety.

Thirty-six highway crew members worked 29 hours straight — from early Sunday morning until noon Monday — plowing, sanding and salting to keep all town routes open throughout the storm.

“We never even lost a road, we didn’t have to close anything, everything stayed passable,” Mr. Zaleski said. “A lot of roads I’ve seen are down to bare asphalt already; that’s a pleasant sort of surprise on a town level.”

The operation used 300 to 400 tons of salt and sand. The toughest roads to plow were north of Sound Avenue, mainly near farm fields where snowdrifts commonly form due to high winds.

“Those were the roads we have to constantly plow as we’re doing everything else, just to keep them open,” the highway superintendent said. “The sleet at the end kind of crusted the snow a little bit, and that helps slow down drifting — that actually helped us a little bit.”

Fewer parked cars on the roads made the job easier, Mr. Zaleski said. More drivers often lead to stalled operations.

“Every little bit helps,” he said. “For us to do the best job we can, we need cooperation from the public.”

Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost said law enforcement was in constant communication with the highway department to assist with snow removal efforts. If a vehicle impeded the process, officers would aid in getting the car moved.

“The notices went out early enough where people heeded the information,” the police chief said.

Despite the forecast for another bitterly cold weekend, organizers of the fourth annual North Fork Polar Plunge, originally slated for last Sunday before being postponed, said they still plan to hold the popular fundraiser at Veterans Beach in Mattituck this Sunday.

“I know that people are super excited,” Polar Plunge co-founder Patricia Garcia-Gomez said Tuesday. “When we postponed it, so many people were so joyful — they’re like, ‘Thank goodness, we don’t want to miss it.'”

The team is monitoring the plunge location to make sure it is still suitable for the event and will be meeting by Friday to make a final decision. Registration is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. and the plunge at 10 a.m.