First winter storm of the season expected to bring 3 to 5 inches of snow Monday night

(Last updated Feb. 28 at 5:30 a.m.) Plow trucks will be called into service for the first plowable snowfall of the season, with the arrival of a winter storm system expected to drop 3 to 5 inches of wet snow across the local area tonight into midday tomorrow.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for northeastern Suffolk County. The advisory is in effect from 6 o’clock tonight until 1 p.m. tomorrow.

Winds are expected to reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour, and temperatures are expected to stay in the low 30s, the weather service said.

All residents must remove their vehicles from the street tonight to increase the effectiveness of snow plow operations during the storm, according to an advisory issued by the Riverhead Police Department. The town code allows police to ticket and/or impound parked or abandoned vehicles that affect travel or plowing operations during a winter storm. 

Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski urged residents to heed the police advisory and take parked cars off the streets. It makes snow-clearing operations more efficient and safer, he said. The timing of the storm should allow highway crews to do their jobs with few traffic issues, Zaleski said.

“All plows are on and sanders are pre-loaded and ready to go. The trucks are ready and the men are ready,” the highway superintendent said this afternoon. Zaleski said this is the latest date for the first plowable snow of any season that he can remember. A highway department employee for nearly 30 years, Zaleski said he doesn’t recall any season with no plowable snow, though there was one season — maybe two — that had just one plowable snowfall.

“But remember: March can be full of surprises,” the highway superintendent said.

Rain, snow and sleet will continue in the morning, with a chance of rain in the afternoon, according to the forecast. 

Riverhead public schools will have a two-hour delay Tuesday morning, a school district official said this evening. Riverhead Charter School, St. John Paul II Regional School, and St. David’s School will also operate on a two-hour delay schedule Tuesday, as are Shoreham-Wading River schools, Eastport-South Manor schools, and other school districts across the region.

Riverhead Town Hall will open at 10:30 a.m. All Southold Town offices will have a two-hour delayed opening Tuesday.

In case of an emergency, you can contact the Riverhead Police Department at 911. The department can be reached for non-emergency calls at (631) 727-4500.