LI recovers from historic snowfall that leaves slippery roads

Long Islanders spent Sunday recovering from getting walloped by a storm with a near-record snowfall and high winds, with the potential for an icy week ahead.

The storm brought the second-highest daily snowfall on record for Long Island, the National Weather Service said on Sunday. A 2016 storm day beat it by 0.2 inches.

Suffolk notched its first official blizzard in four years, meeting that criteria with a blend of blowing snow and winds that blew at least 35 mph for hours. Gusts in Suffolk were clocked up to 63 mph out east; in Nassau, they were measured up to 48 mph.

With cleanup still underway, several Long Island school districts decided to cancel classes Monday. Others planned two-hour delays.

The sheer volume of snow that fell rapidly from Friday night through Saturday afternoon was staggering.

Suffolk's high was 25 inches in Orient Point and Nassau's was 19.2 inches in Levittown, the weather service said. Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip saw 23.2 inches on Saturday alone, just below the daily record of 23.4 inches from Jan. 23, 2016.

The Orient Point total includes snowfall from the entire storm. For the duration of the storm, Islip saw 24.7 inches.

The snow won't be leaving soon. The forecast calls for arctic temperatures in the region until midweek, when daytime temperatures go into the 40s but back down to freezing or below at night.

While a blizzard is not "uncommon" in the Northeast, Long Island received so much snow in one day because the storm tracked so close to us, weather service meteorologist David Stark said.

Snow fell so quickly that crews were in a "merry-go-round — because you feel like you're just going around in circles," said Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro.

"You plow a road. If you don't get back through that road for another hour or two when it's snowing two inches an hour, you might have six inches of snow back on that road by the time you get back around," Losquadro said.

Two people died while shoveling snow and two more deaths are also believed to be storm-related, officials said.

After frigid temperatures Sunday night, the roads will have a sheen of ice to them Monday, meteorologists warned, starting a melt and refreeze cycle as the week goes on. The Island should "snap out of" the unusually cold weather by Tuesday, allowing for some snow melt before rain is expected Thursday and Friday, meteorologist Jay Engle said.

Challenge of snow clearing

The storm that started Friday night and continued through Saturday shut down airports, trains and buses. Its harsh, sweeping winds — with gusts of more than 50 mph — were a nightmare for work crews plowing and deicing roadways, as roads that were cleared quickly filled again with snow.

Jennifer DeSena, the North Hempstead town supervisor, said trucks went through every neighborhood three times Saturday — and the trucks were back out Sunday.

While there were dozens of crashes, police said most of them were minor.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called the weekend storm "one of the most difficult storms we have seen in a number of years," during a morning briefing at the Suffolk County DPW Yard in Commack.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said public work crews had been on the job around the clock. The main problem Sunday, he said, was motorists sliding off roads into snowdrifts.

"They are blocking streets and blocking our salt trucks and plows," he said.

Officials also urged residents not to blow snow back onto the street when clearing homes.

Ice, then melting

After bitter cold Sunday night, with a low in the teens, Monday and Tuesday will remain dry with highs in the mid- to upper 30s.

Wednesday will see temperatures reach the 40s. Rain is likely on Thursday and Friday, with a chance of snow Friday. But all three of those nights will be either near or below freezing, meaning anything that melted could refreeze.

Long Island officials said they were prepared for the forecast and its potential impacts on roads.

In Brookhaven, crews will clear out storm drains to make room for melting snow and ice, and salt and sand should be effective with higher temperatures, Losquadro said.

"We will be in good shape for tomorrow's commute," Losquadro said on Sunday.

Babylon spokesman Kevin Bonner said the town would have streets clear enough by the end of Sunday for a smooth morning commute on Monday.

"Dig out Sunday, clean up Monday, wrap up Tuesday," he said.

Larry Falabella was busy shoveling the two-foot wall of ice that plows had pushed in front of his Baiting Hollow home Sunday morning, but he wasn't complaining. He praised the work of the Riverhead highway department for keeping the roads passable so he could get back to his job Monday as a real estate agent in Bayside, Queens.

"They take care of two feet better out here than eight inches in Queens," he said.

The storm and its near-record snowfall took its toll in a deadly way.

Two men in Syosset, ages 53 and 75, died while shoveling snow Saturday, Blakeman said. Their identities were not released.

A woman was found dead in her vehicle early Saturday in the parking lot of the Marriott hotel in Uniondale by a Nassau snowplow operator. She may have suffered a medical emergency, according to Blakeman.

On the North Fork, a man died Saturday after he fell into a swimming pool while shoveling snow, Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said. The man's death remains under investigation.

Neighbors helping neighbors

Relatives and neighbors helped each other clear driveways and sidewalks. In some instances, homeowners said they did the work themselves because landscaping companies were overbooked.

"We try to help each other," said Tom Cincotta, 71, who shoveled snow for his Seaford neighbors while they were away. "Some of the people are not able to do it, so we chip in whenever we can."

The snow also brought a fun diversion for some families and a reason to gather and help out.

Hundreds of parents flocked to Cedar Creek Park in Seaford to enjoy a snow day with their kids. The park was lined with children and adults taking turns sliding down the snowy hills.

"I guess you can call it a tradition," said Marcello Deperalta, 47, of Massapequa Park, who went sledding with his wife, kids and family friends. "I’ve been down the hill over 30 times."

A band of Greenport Fire Department volunteers made their way around the mostly empty village’s downtown Sunday morning as they dug paths to fire hydrants. Robert Corwin, a captain with the department, said the volunteers would probably dig out about 50 hydrants in Greenport, but urged homeowners to clear a path to the hydrants in their neighborhoods if they can. It could save valuable minutes in the event of a fire.

At D'Latte Cafe, one of the few businesses open in Greenport Sunday, Michael Fay, 68, grabbed coffee and planned to enjoy an empty and snow-covered village.

"It’s a huge hassle," Fay, 68 and retired, said of the snow. "But you know, it's a beautiful day. The sun is out. The snow looks beautiful."