Franklin Square, Elmont covered in slush and snow

The blizzard predicted for Tuesday for Franklin Square and Elmont brought less snow than expected at mid-morning, though roads were made dangerous by a mixture of snow, sleet and rain. 

As the morning became afternoon, the snow became rain and slush accumulating on the ground, sidewalks and streets. All Franklin Square and Elmont schools were closed on Tuesday, and garbage pickup was canceled.

Government officials, including Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino, also said they were concerned that lower-than-predicted snow totals might give people a false sense of security that roads are drivable. They aren't, Santino said, so people were supposed to stay put as road crews cleared streets and apply salt to de-ice them. 

On a social media page, Maria Quintanilla, of Franklin Square, observed how Nassau Street was plowed and asked who was responsible for taking care of certain streets during a snowstorm.

"While I'm thankful that the town has plowed, my question is why would they only plow down the middle of the street on Nassau Boulevard?" she asked. "No cars are on the street, and they are not plowing to the curb. So basically Nassau Boulevard by West Hempstead High School is only accessible down the middle of the street, not the entire street, and this has happened for the past couple of years down the middle only. So please do not say that it's just the beginning, and they will plow to the curb. Makes it extremely hard for homeowners to shovel out of their driveways with added snow and ice being pushed there from the street."

The Long Island Rail Road warned that it might be forced to suspend service if conditions worsened. Special trains were spraying de-icer on the third rail, which energizes the trains. On its Twitter feed, the LIRR was reporting 15- to 20-minute delays on various branches in the early morning. Check the LIRR website for updates.

Thousands of flights at the region's airports were also delayed.
As of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, relatively little snow had fallen, but sleet was coming down hard. That wintry mix was expected to turn to all snow later in the morning, when temperatures were predicted to drop.

The Nassau County Department of Emergency Management projected six to 18 inches of snow, although Luparello acknowledged on Monday that anything could happen.

"Right now it's all a guessing game with the computer models," he said on Monday morning, adding that the department would have crew members on standby through Wednesday. 

"This is going to be a very involved snowstorm...," Supervisor Anthony Santino said at a news conference in Point Lookout on Monday, not far from where the Army Corps of Engineers is working on a coastal protection project for the barrier island "We expect significant coastal flooding, we expect very high wind conditions, and we expect a foot or more, possibly, of snow," he warned.

According to Santino, the town had 50,000 tons of rock salt on hand, crews had been preparing roads throughout the town with snow-melting brine since Sunday, and more than 400 workers were ready to respond with about 300 pieces of equipment. 

More updates will be given throughout the day as the storm progresses.