Community Corner
Blizzard, Coastal Flood Warnings in Effect, Up to 2 Feet of Snow Expected
Snowfall estimates for the island have skyrocketed over the past 24 hours.
Well, that escalated quickly.
Just as snow gets set to fall across Long Island, the National Weather Service released updated snow total projections late Friday night. And it’s great news if you love snow. Not so great if don’t like digging your car out of a snow mountain.
The NWS is now calling for 18-24 inches of snow for New York City and all of Long Island, except for the Twin Forks, where amounts may be a bit lower if snow mixes with rain and sleet. Just a day ago, the NWS was projecting 8-12 inches of snow for much of Long Island.
Wind gusts are expected to reach 55 mph. A blizzard warning means falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel “extremely dangerous,” according to the National Weather Service.
“Do not travel,” the blizzard warning says. “If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.”
Heavy snow is expected to begin early Saturday morning and then continue through the night before tapering off early Sunday morning. A total of 12 inches of snow is expected to accumulate across much of Long Island just between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.
States of emergency have already been announced for several Long Island areas, including the towns of Huntington, Hempstead, and the city of Long Beach.
SEE: Blizzard 2016: Snow Timeline for Long Island
Coastal flood warnings have been issued for large portions of the island. A flood warning will be in effect for southern Nassau and southwestern Suffolk from 6 a.m. to noon Saturday and then from 5 p.m. to midnight. High tide in Lindenhurst is at 9:20 a.m. and 9:48 p.m.
“The major coastal flooding threat is for the most vulnerable South Shore bay locales of Nassau and Suffolk counties with up to 3-feet of inundation,” the warning states.
A coastal flood warning will also be in effect for northern Nassau and northwestern Suffolk from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday. High tide in Glen Cove is at 10:36 a.m. and 11:04 p.m.
- Send snow and flooding photos Saturday to [email protected] (Just note the street and town)
There could be widespread flooding of vulnerable shore roads and/or basements, as well as isolated structural damage. Several roads will likely be impassable.
“Lives may be at risk for people who put themselves in harm’s way,” the flood warnings state.
The flooding will be made worse by high astronomical tides related to the full moon, according to AccuWeather.
Large breaking waves on the shore of Long Island may result in the erosion of dunes and localized overwash for barrier beaches from Fire Island and points west.
RELATED: Long Island Blizzard Preparedness Checklist
The strong winds could also lead to power outages across Long Island.
PSEG Long Island said Thursday that it was “closely monitoring the impending winter storm” and “performing system checks on critical transmission and distribution equipment and performing logistics checks to ensure the availability of critical materials, fuel and other supplies.”
“The most important priority is your safety and that of our crews,” PSEG said on its Facebook page. “Please be safe this weekend and if you see any downed wire, assume it is a live electric wire and report it immediately. Call 1-800-490-0075 anytime.” To report power outages, call 800-490-0075.
At Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s direction, the New York National Guard is prepared to deploy 600 personnel throughout the downstate region to provide emergency support.
“The state is working around the clock to monitor the storm and proactively deploy resources to communities as needed,” Cuomo said. “We encourage New Yorkers in the downstate region to stay informed, plan ahead, and avoid any unnecessary travel as the storm progresses.”
Hundreds of flights have already been canceled at LaGuardia and JFK airports. At Long Island MacArthur Airport, Southwest has canceled all flights until Sunday afternoon. American Airlines has canceled all flights at MacArthur until 5:59 p.m Sunday.
Travelers should check with their carriers to make sure their flight will be taking off before going to the airport. Keep tabs on the local airports on Patch this weekend with the flight tracker below.
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