Long Islanders put on extra layers to go out into cold

Amid brutal cold and swirling remnants of a snowstorm, Long Islanders returned to business as usual Saturday with an extra layer or two of clothing.

Leyla Murphy’s ankles were bare as she walked across the parking lot of NYCB Live’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to the entrance of a bridal and wedding expo, where she was going to represent her employer, the Inn at New Hyde Park.

“I have to look professional,” Murphy, 22, of Floral Park, said of her high-cropped pants. “It’s very difficult.”

Saturday marked the 11th day in the longest stretch of below-freezing weather since 1979. Highs reached 15 degrees, but wind gusts of 37 mph made it feel like minus 5 to minus 10 degrees. A cold-air jet stream that had been resting in Canada in late December quickly made its way south, setting off a deep freeze, the National Weather Service said.

The forecast won’t offer relief until Monday, the service said. Sunday afternoon will be sunny with a high near 18 degrees with northwest winds of about 6 to 9 mph. Monday brings another chance of snow or freezing rain but with a high near 35 degrees.

The next week will break the cold spell, with highs gradually warming from the upper 30s Tuesday to close to 50 by Friday. Thursday will bring a slight chance of rain.

Jonathan Ng, 20, a student at Tufts in Boston, said he was used to the cold, though he was surprised to see Boston-like weather in New York.

“For New York, it’s been brutal,” Ng, of Forest Hills, said outside the Long Island Rail Road Station in Huntington.

Nadyah Mohammed, 51, recently returned to live on Long Island from Boston because of the cold temperatures there.

“I came back to Long Island and now it’s cold here, too,” she said inside the Huntington LIRR station lobby.

Mohammed has been staying at a women’s shelter in Huntington. With shelter employees offering a warm bed, hot meals and winter clothing, she couldn’t turn it down, especially during Thursday’s storm.

SEE PHOTOSSnowstorms that buried LI over the past 100-plus years

The service confirmed that the storm, which dropped more than a foot of snow in some places, is believed to be a blizzard, pending further review. On Saturday, some bundled-up Long Islanders still felt the snow’s impact.

Dennis Russell started blowing snow and spreading salt in front of the Coliseum — at 8:30 a.m., and three hours later he was still at it.

“It’s not bad,” said Russell, 21, of Queens, of the arctic conditions at the Coliseum, where frigid winds whipped across the empty parking lots. “I kind of knew it was coming.”

Rachel Dono of North Babylon was attending the expo with her two sisters. She didn’t expect it to be quite so cold, she said as they made their way to the entrance.

“Not this painful,” said Dono, 33, a business analyst.

The key to Dono’s survival? “Seat warmers in my car,” she said.

At Costco in Melville, Debbie and Bill Manton of Massapequa cleared snow from the bed of their pickup truck, using cardboard boxes as makeshift shovels. They’d purchased a few more items than expected, including a rug that didn’t fit in the cab.

“It’s been too long,” said Debbie, 58, of the cold streak. “I know it’s winter but it’s a little too long for my blood.”

With Khristopher J. Brooks