Blizzard with up to 2 feet of snow expected to make travel on Long Island nearly impossible

A “dangerous” midwinter blizzard bringing 65 mph wind gusts and up to two feet of snow is expected to slow Long Island to a crawl Monday morning into the evening.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the county executives of Nassau and Suffolk counties declared an emergency for the region as the heavy bands of snow and high winds make travel nearly impossible.

“For a winter that started out so quiet and mild, this one is turning out to be a real beast,” Newsday meteorologist Bill Korbel said. “This one has all the makings of a really bad one, a dangerous storm for a number of reasons.”

Korbel said that a combination of low visibility and high winds, difficult to impossible travel conditions and coastal flooding could make this the worst snowstorm in years.

Nassau and Suffolk counties banned nonessential vehicles from the roads until 9 a.m. Monday morning so that snow plows, emergency vehicles and essential workers can travel safely.

Schools across the island and in New York City will be closed or operating remotely on Monday because of the blizzard.

State and federal courts have also declared a snow day. Criminal court arraignments in Nassau and the five boroughs will begin at 2 p.m.

Nassau County Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said many of the 70 volunteer fire departments across the county would require some firefighters to remain on duty overnight into Monday so they could quickly respond to fires, downed trees or power lines, and stranded residents.

He said motorists venturing out on roadways risk becoming stranded, hampering firefighters' rescue efforts and ability to respond to potential fires.

"You going out on the road only amplifies the problem," Uttaro warned.

Long Island Rail Road halted service at 1 a.m. Monday and transit officials said they would resume service as soon as it was safe to do so.

NICE and Suffolk County Transit halted buses on Sunday afternoon and evening. NICE officials said a decision on whether to resume service Monday at 9 a.m. would be made on Monday morning. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine's office said the Suffolk buses are expected to resume service Tuesday at 10 a.m.

For most of Sunday, light flurries sprinkled the roadways, which have only just become clear of the icy banks from the last storm that dumped up to a foot of snow on the region on Jan. 25.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service said that this storm could bring double that in some places, in addition to the heavy winds and coastal flooding.

“We have some very serious snow entering the South Shore right now, rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour,” meteorologist Jay Engle said Sunday night.

Unlike the last snowfall, which brought wispy, granular flakes, Engle said that this storm will likely accumulate on branches and power lines, possibly causing some power outages.

PSEG Long Island said it had called in hundreds of outside crews to work alongside its own personnel in case of electricity outages from the storm’s expected high winds.

The utility, which runs the power grid for LIPA under contract, had more than 600 of its own PSEG high- and low-voltage line workers, tree trimmers and damage surveyors at the ready, and called in 260 more from outside.

Even with crews working 16-hour shifts, the utility company said severe damage could cause loss of power for more than 24 hours.

“[The snowflakes] will be a little fluffy and dense at the same time, we're getting what we call ‘good snow growth,’ because the snowflakes are generating very high up in the atmosphere,” Engle told Newsday. The heaviest part of the storm was expected to hit Sunday night until noon on Monday, he said. “There could be a few lulls if you get in between some heavier bands, but most of the time it's going to be snowing to beat the band.”

Long Islanders made the most of Sunday morning before the worst of the storm hit, attending church, having breakfast at Our Town Grille in Malverne or in the Recovery Room bar in Mineola, and watching the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat Canada in overtime to win gold medals.

In Southampton Village, artist Gloria Smith, 92, a former trustee of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, sat in the Southampton Culture Center, surrounded by family and her paintings, which had been on display for the last two months.

As the wind picked up around her studio, Smith discussed how native themes and culture are a part of all her work, and how she is inspired by her children and grandchildren. The work keeps her active, including on snowy days.

"Most people my age, they don't think about doing anything except sitting in a chair," she said.