Updated blizzard warning forecasts 18 to 23″ of snow; travel ban takes effect 9 p.m. Sunday

Updated- 3:28 p.m.: The National Weather Service has again ramped up its forecast of snow accumulations in the Long Island region. 

Accumulations of 18 to 23 inches are now expected, the weather service said in an updated blizzard warning this afternoon. Travel should be restricted to emergencies only, the weather service said.

The blizzard warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Monday. A coastal flood warning also remains in effect tonight from 10 o’clock until tomorrow at 6 a.m. and a coastal flood advisory is in effect tomorrow from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has declared a state of emergency and issued a ban on all travel in Suffolk County, excluding essential workers and plow operators, beginning 9 p.m. tonight through 9 a.m. tomorrow. 

Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin issued an updated emergency order, suspending all non-essential, non-emergency travel in the town.

Parking remains prohibited on any street in the town for the duration of the emergency order.

Violation of emergency orders is a class B misdemeanor under state law, punishable by a fine up to $500 and/or up to 90 days in jail, Halpin’s emergency order said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island  and more than a dozen upstate counties. She also ordered 100 New York National Guard troops to be staged across Long Island, New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley.

Suffolk County Transit bus service is suspended systemwide at 4 p.m. and will remain suspended Monday, Romaine said. Service will resume on Tuesday with an anticipated delayed 10 a.m. start, he said.

Service on the Long Island Railroad is suspended beginning at 1 a.m. Monday, the MTA announced this afternoon.

Local government offices and school districts, including Riverhead, have announced closings Monday. All Riverhead Town buildings will be closed Monday, Halpin said at a press conference at the Riverhead Highway Department this afternoon.  Municipal trash collection is suspended tomorrow. 

See RiverheadLOCAL’s updated list of closings and cancellations.

Local fire departments and the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps will have standby crews at their headquarters and other stations to respond to calls throughout the storm, including overnight. First responders coordinate with the town highway department and Suffolk County DPW to ensure that roads are sufficiently cleared to allow them to respond to emergencies.

Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski said he’s got 34 crew members ready to work around the clock to clear snow from town roadways. In an ongoing storm with significant accumulations, trucks  plow the roads after every six inches of accumulations, concentrating first on principal and secondary arteries. 

Zaleski said the department has ample supplies of salt and sand to treat the roads and all trucks and equipment have been inspected and repaired as needed. 

Blowing and drifting snow will be a challenge with this storm, because of strong wind conditions in the forecast, he said. Partial road closures overnight and Monday are likely. 

“This will be a multi-day process,” Zaleski said. “Please be patient.”

Riverhead Police Chief Ed Frost warned residents about the danger of travel during the storm. “It’s going to be treacherous and could be life-threatening,’ Frost said. “Stay home. Be safe.”

To report an outage or downed wire, call 911 or call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number at 800-490-0075. Outages can also be reported by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454)

Riverhead Fire Department Chief Piotr Kurzyna urged residents to shovel out the area around fire hydrants near their homes, so that firefighters can find and access them in an emergency.