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Town gears up for second blast of snow on Super Bowl Sunday

SoutholdLOCAL photo by Peter Blasl.

Super Bowl Sunday will bring more than just the big game as the North Fork gears up for another blast of snow.

According to John Cristantello, metoeorlogist for the National Weather Service office at Upton, a winter storm watch is in affect for the North Fork Sunday night through Monday afternoon, with snow accumulations possible of between five and 10 inches, along with less than a tenth of an inch of ice, and periods of freezing rain and sleet. Northeast winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour are expected, with gusts of up to 35 miles per hour. Temperatures are slated to hover in the mid 20s to mid 30s.

There’s about a 50-50 chance of snow beginning as early as tomorrow afternoon, Cristantello said, with the odds increasing closer to midnight and then continuing into Monday before tapering off early Tuesday.

The chance of snow mixed with sleet and rain Monday could “help cut down the overall snow total,” Cristantello said.

While inland areas such as interior Connecticut and the lower Hudson Valley could see “a slam dunk, with all snow, over here, it’s a little more dicey. I’d say a safe bet would be in the range of five to 10 inches, to widen the goal post a little bit.”

Cristentello warned residents not to be “fooled” by temps about 32 degrees, because even if rain is falling, “there’s a good chance it can freeze” on cold ground surfaces, leading to icy conditions.

The storm will be heading in from the Ohio Valley.

Southold Town Highway Superintendent Vincent Orlando said his crews are ready for the next round. “Same day, different drill,” he said.

Over the past days, highway crews have been trucking the snow to staging areas in Strawberry Field in Mattituck and Cochran Park in Peconic.

Sunday’s coming storm posed new challenges, he said. “The difference with a Monday storm is the logistics of getting materials on Friday. That’s crucial, because you can’t rely on getting them Monday in the middle of the storm.” And so, on Friday, Orlando said gas and diesel tanks were topped off and sand and salt, delivered. “We had to think in advance for this one,” he said.

Crews have also worked to repair equipment in the last storm, with the last sander fixed today.

As for Monday’s commute, Orlando said residents should leave early for work and drive safely.

While Riverhead has seen roads closed due to drifting snow and ice, Orlando said all roads are open in Southold. While there is drifting around town, with men working to push back the drifts, art of the reason why drifting was a bit under control Friday was the new, wet snow that fell yesterday, creating a cap on the existing snow and preventing it from blowing, he said.

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