LIers dig out after storm drops 16 inches of snow

Long Islanders woke Thursday to the aftermath of a snowstorm that dropped more than 16 inches in some areas, but found that other than some downed trees, power outages and sidewalks and driveways to shovel, the situation was much better than expected.

Most major roads were well-plowed, many to the asphalt, though some secondary roads in Nassau and Suffolk still needed work.

PHOTOS: Latest snowstorm photos | Classic LI snowstorms, 1947-2009 | Animals in the snow!

"The timing of the storm and the intensity pretty much worked out as forecast," said meteorologist Peter Wichrowski of the National Weather Service in Upton.

"I think obviously, when you're pretty well prepared and you do get some lead time like we got with this storm, it's going to help with preparations - and that will help you deal with it. I think this storm ended up being well-predicted."

Trains started out on time Thursday, but some delays were reported as the morning commute got under way.

The storm played a role in more than 200 car accidents Wednesday, most of them minor fender-benders, and forced the cancellation of all 30 scheduled flights at Long Island-MacArthur Airport, as well as more than 700 flights at LaGuardia and what officials called "hundreds more" at Kennedy.

Schools and businesses closed. The railroad threatened to shut down the system if the Island got hit with more than 10 inches of snow - but instead moved rush hour up an hour as many commuters left work early or stayed home.

But overnight, many municipal agencies went to work, with emergency road crews plowing streets and digging out.

And Thursday morning, the sun was out - and forecasters are now predicting sunny skies until Monday.

The weather service said Woodmere received the most snow on Long Island, with 16.4 inches, while Holbrook and Mount Sinai were the hardest hit in Suffolk with 15.4.

Floral Park got 16.1 inches, Rocky Point 15.2, North Babylon 15, Commack 14.7, Smithtown 14.5, Malverne and Valley Stream 14 inches each.

Most areas got at least 10 inches, though places like East Meadow and Hampton Bays, with 7 inches each, and Seaford, with 6.9, got off easier.

Meanwhile, the Long Island Power Authority reported that as of 7 a.m., 828 customers were without power, most because of downed lines.

The hardest hit area was Old Bethpage with 145 outages, while North Wantagh had 109. The were 72 customers without service in Searingtown, 59 in Brentwood, 51 in Port Washington, 40 in St. James and 26 in Woodmere. Emergency crews were working to restore power.

The state Department of Transportation reported several overnight accidents that briefly closed roads, among them a jackknifed tractor-trailer that closed the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway between Exit 9, Plainview Road, and Exit 10, Old Country Road, and a crash that closed lanes on the Northern State Parkway at Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.

Downed trees closed the Wantagh State Parkway at the Southern State Parkway and Route 25 in Smithtown for several hours. But officials said both were cleared and the roads reopened by 6:30 a.m.

About the worst of it to be found Thursday morning were side streets that hadn't been adequately plowed or where gusting overnight winds had blown snow back onto the pavement.

The Long Island Expressway had rough patches in the area known as "The Valley" between Exit 39 and Exit 40 in East Hills and Old Westbury. And commuters reported some railroad platforms in Bethpage and Farmingdale had not been adequately shoveled and remained slippery by daybreak. Some commuters waited for trains in ankle-deep snow.

But otherwise?

"It looks like we're going to have dry weather now for the next few days into the weekend," Wichrowski said.

Remember just last week, Holbrook Hal and Malverne Mel, groundhogs from two areas of Long Island hardest hit by Wednesday's storm, predicted that we've still got a few more weeks of winter left.

And forecasters are saying that come Presidents Day on Monday, Long Island could get another storm - and more snowfall. "There are some indications," Wichrowski said. Of course, he noted, it also could pass just to our south - and we could get little or no snow at all.