A winter storm that dumped a dangerous mixture of snow, sleet and ice Wednesday on Long Island has winded down—though driving conditions could once again become “hazardous” when temperatures drop below freezing in the evening, the National Weather Service said.
The agency has cancelled a winter storm warning for the South Shore of Long Island, but issued a winter weather advisory until 10 a.m. due to the potential of freezing rain and “widespread black ice” in the evening. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. for northern Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The Island was hit with between 1-to-5 inches of snowfall, with North Shore communities taking the brunt of the storm: Bayville recorded 5.3 inches and Orient measured 4.5 inches.
The storm sparked hundreds of outages across LI, and was affecting more than 3,500 PSEG Long Island customers as of 3:48 p.m. That’s down from a high of more than 5,000 at 1 p.m. The utility said “crews are working safely and quickly to restore customers as soon as possible.”
Delays that led to service suspensions on several Long Island Rail Road branches during the morning commute have been resolved and the entire system is currently operating without any disruptions. The LIRR expects to run a normal evening rush hour schedule and said riders should allow for extra travel time and to use caution on platforms and stairways.
This is on the heels of Monday’s storm, which blanketed LI with nearly 10 inches of snow. The region has seen more than 40 inches so far this winter.
Forecasters said Wednesday afternoon that the storm was winding down and that temperatures have warmed above freezing along the South Shore.
But they warned residents to be aware of falling snow and ice from buildings and trees.
Earlier Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the entire state, freeing up deliveries of salt for desperate municipalities, mostly on Long Island and New York City.
“There’s more than enough of a supply now to help localities that have a dire situation,” Cuomo said in a conference call with reporters.
A chance of freeing drizzle still exists before 9 p.m., the weather service said, and temperatures could reach a low of 23.
The weather should clear up until Sunday, though temperatures are expected to remain at or below freezing.
Sunday’s forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of snow, but meteorologists are unable to accurately predict possible snowfall amounts at this time.
