Update: 8:56 a.m.: Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell told SoutholdLOCAL that despite a lifting of the statewide travel ban, a state of emergency still exists in Southold — with driving prohibited.
“We are still dealing with falling snow and the state of emergency is still in effect until further notice,” he said.
Update: 8:09 a.m.: Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a statewide travel ban on roads at 8 a.m. but warned residents that unless they absolutely needed to travel, everyone should stay home.
“The roads are passable. Passable does not mean they are clear,” he said, adding that snow and ice on the roads makes for a “dangerous” ride.
The storm, he said, hit the East End hardest. “Suffolk County is where we have serious issues,” Cuomo said, although overall, the storm was “less destructive than predicted”.
The National Weather service released an official total, so far, for Mattituck of 24.8 inches, with snow still falling at a rate of two to four inches per hour.
An explosion on a transformer on Mereoke Trail in Wading River at 6:40 a.m. led to 94 power outages; crews are working to restore power by this afternoon.
Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said there’s one word that can be used to describe the highway department’s efforts: Stamina. “They are working hard and staying on top of things,” he said. “The snow is light so it plows easily but it also drifts easily.”
Russell said the town is trying to get the New York State Department of Transportation out. “We haven’t seen a plow since 2 a.m.”
The NYSDOT has not yet responded to questions on when plows might be returning.
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Original story: Mother Nature delivered, as promised, a wintery blast to the North Fork, with up to 30 inches of snow by the time all is said and done and drifts of up to four feet reported around town.
According to Jeffrey Tongue, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Upton, snow is still falling at a rate of two to four inches on the North Fork and will continue throughout the morning, tapering off into afternoon before heading out of the area around 7 p.m. Up to eight inches could still fall in Southold before day’s end.
A blizzard warning remains in effect for the area until midnight.
At 5:40 this morning, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell snow and wind were blowing pretty fiercely and visibility was poor, so Highway Superintendent Vincent Orlando had to pull the guys off the road around 4:30 a.m. “It’s too dangerous,” Russell said. “They will be back out at sunup.” Russell said there have been no reported outages. Suffolk County as a whole only reported about 11, he said. There have been no stranded people or motorists. “The snow is light and plowing easy but it looks like we are getting the accumulation they said we would.”
High winds will continue, with gusts of up to 40 to 50 miles per hour, with significant blowing and drifting and whiteout conditions.
Temperatures are expected to hover in the 20s throughout the day.
Southold Town declared a state of emergency last night. “Use of all roads in Southold Town is prohibited except for essential staff of life care, health care or medical care facilities,” Russell said. “Any vehicles that are parked or found to have impeded fire, police or highway department vehicles will be towed at owner’s expense.”
Cutchogue Fire Department had two rescue calls last night, for medical emergencies. While the highway department tried to help, the snow was “just too much. We ended up just doing the best with what we had,” fire department volunteers said.
The ambulance on the first call was able to track through, but during the second call, a chief with four wheel drive had to lead the way. Patients were “very grateful” Cutchogue Fire Department volunteers report.
Southold Fire Department reported no emergency calls; a standby crew slept over at headquarters, but has had no calls since late yesterday afternoon.
All schools, town and Greenport village offices, and many businesses, remain closed on Tuesday.
A travel ban remains in effect on state and county roads and Long Island Rail Road is still suspended.
