Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
Thursday updates:
Some serious flooding happening in Port Jeff. See Facebook post and video below:
Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a State of Emergency for all of Long Island, Westchester and New York City.
The State of Emergency means that people should stay off the roads unless of an emergency or it’s otherwise absolutely necessary to travel.
Cuomo reportedly said the wind, which is only expected to intensify throughout the day, is making clearing roadways “almost impossible.”
JFK Airport is closed, MacArthur has cancelled all flights and LaGuardia has cancelled 95 percent of its flights as of noon on Thursday.
The National Weather Service Blizzard Warning has been extended into Nassau County. Click here for the full Thursday morning storm briefing from the NWS.
Brookhaven Town issued a state of emergency that started at 8 a.m. and runs until further notice.
No cars should be left on roadways within the town, and residents are urged to stay off the roads unless there is an emergency or it is absolutely essential to travel.
Residents should call 451-TOWN to report snow related issues. Call 911 for police, fire and ambulance emergencies only.
To report a power outage or downed wires, call PSEG at 800-490- 0075 or go to www.psegliny.com to file a report online. The town’s website is also publishing up-to- date snow storm related news, information, weather updates and emergency contact numbers.
The town will also be sending out e-mail alerts to residents.
If you are not on the list, you can sign up at www.brookhavenny.gov. Residents can also sign up for countywide Code Red alerts at www.suffolkcountyny.gov.
Updates from Wednesday, p.m.:
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for all of Suffolk County.
The warning runs from 1 a.m. Thursday through 1 a.m. Friday.
“Blizzard conditions expected,” the warning reads. “Travel will be very dangerous to impossible, including during the morning and evening commutes on Thursday. Damage to trees and power lines is possible.
“Unsecured Christmas decorations may be blown away or damaged. Total snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches with locally higher amounts are expected.”
The Port Jefferson, Comsewogue, Miller Place and Three Village school districts have all announced schools are closed Thursday.
Brookhaven Town’s garbage pickup services have also been cancelled for Thursday and rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 6, starting at 6 a.m.
Also, all of the town’s recreation centers, senior centers and the Brookhaven Aquatic Center in Mastic will be closed Thursday and are rescheduled to reopen at their regular times on Friday.
The facilities will reopen at their regular time on Friday, January 5. Meals on Wheels will be suspended Thursday, as is the town’s jitney program. Both will resume Friday.
Residents should call 451-TOWN to report snow related issues.
Check back for more winter storm updates. Send storm pics or videos to mike@greaterlongisland.com, or message us through Facebook.
Wednesday A.M. post:
Suffolk County is bracing itself for the brunt of 2018’s first major snow storm, with temperatures then reaching as low as 3 degrees on Friday.
“We remind everyone to check on their neighbors, fill their oil tanks, fill their gas tanks, because that’s the type of 72-hour period that can lead us into a lot of emergency situations,” Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant said of the cold.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning starting at 1 a.m. Thursday and running to midnight. The warning is in effect for Suffolk and southern Connecticut.
“Heavy snow and blowing snow expected,” the warning reads. “Blizzard conditions possible … Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches are expected, with higher amounts in excess of one foot possible.”
National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pollina said the snow will continue through 6 p.m. Thursday, with a chance that it keeps snowing to midnight, but it shouldn’t be snowing steadily at that point.
“If people are commuting to work on Thursday, it will definitely be snowing at that point,” Pollina said.
He predicted those areas of 12 inches would likely fall over the South Fork.
Wind gusts can reach as high as 50 mph, and the temperatures to follow the storm are being described by the NWS as “dangerous,” with wind chills as low as -5 to -15 late Thursday night into Friday morning, and -15 to -25 late Friday night into Saturday morning.
The high/low temperatures are 30/25 degrees on Wednesday, 26/11 on Thursday, 15/3 on Friday, and 12/5 on Saturday. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the mid-20s again Sunday.
There’s also a Coastal Flood Advisory in effect from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Garant said village public works employees will be heading home early Wednesday as they prepare to work around the clock to clear the roadways as the storm is hitting Port Jefferson.
“I will more than likely declare a state of emergency … at which time vehicles will have to be removed from the streets, especially in Lower Port,” said Garant, predicting schools would close as well.
Brookhaven Town had planned to swear-in its incoming officials at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Town Hall in Farmingville, but that has been pushed back to Jan. 9 at 4 p.m., prior to the Town Board’s annual organizational meeting.
with Nicholas Esposito
File photo: A blizzard on Long Island in February 2016. (Credit: Benny Migliorino)
