Local roads ‘in great shape’ after overnight snowfall of 3 to 5 inches: town highway supt.

A snowfall of 3 to 5 inches blanketed Suffolk County overnight, ending early this morning, according to the National Weather Service. The winter weather advisory is no longer in effect.

Light freezing drizzle and areas of light snow may be possible, with a light glaze of ice and another inch or two of snow accumulation possible before precipitation stops, the weather service said in a statement at 4  a.m.

Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski said local roads are “in great shape” this morning. 

Highway workers were called in at 7 p.m. Saturday and worked through the night, Zaleski said in a phone interview Sunday. They were wrapping things up by about 7 a.m. Sunday morning, Crews treated road surfaces with salt and sand and then began plowing and clearing operations. They will do a bit more salting before going home to get some sleep, he said.

“Luckily temperatures rose enough where the snow was wet,” Zaleski said. Calm winds and wet snow meant the department didn’t have to deal with blowing snow. The timing of the snow was optimal, too, he said. There was very little traffic overnight. 

“So the roads are in great shape,” Zaleski said. “We got everything down to bare pavement.”

Cars parked in the street made plowing difficult in some areas, he said. “After people dig out their cars, the snow left behind can make it look like we didn’t even plow,” he said. Plow trucks then have to return to clear the streets again, and residents get mad when the plows push snow across their cleared driveway entrances. It’s the same cycle with every snowstorm, the highway superintendent said. 

“People need to obey the rules” and move their cars off the street, he said. 

Zaleski reminded residents that pushing snow onto the roads is a violation of town code.

The highway department is gearing up for more snow heading this way in the week ahead, and possibly the week after.

Zaleski said he’s got a good supply of salt on hand after a delivery of 1,000 tons two weeks ago. “And I just ordered more.” He has to make sure he maintains an adequate supply, while being mindful of his capacity to store it on site at the highway yard. 

“It’s a winter-long chess game,” he said. 

Zaleski urged motorists to use extra caution when traveling tonight, since surfaces could ice up in places as temperatures fall this evening. 

Temperatures will peak in the upper 30s under mostly sunny skies this afternoon, but drop into the mid-20s this evening, according to the National Weather Service forecast.