Powerful winter storm slams Island Park with blizzard-like conditions

Updated: 9:45 a.m. Thursday: As predicted, a powerful winter storm rolled into the greater metropolitan area after midnight on Thursday morning, bringing with it snow, frigid temperatures and heavy winds.

The National Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning and a Coastal Flood Advisory for Nassau County on Thursday morning. It is expected to last through Friday morning.

Most parts of Nassau County are predicted to receive up to eight inches of snow when all is said and done, with localized totals as high as 10 inches, while Suffolk could see up to 14 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Weather forecasters had warned that the storm system could shift off its current track. If it were to have veered farther east, into the Atlantic, snow totals would have been smaller. It, however, stayed farther to the west, bringing greater snow amounts across Long Island.

The extreme cold will be worrisome, according to the NWS. The temperature could drop to as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and as low as -5 degrees, with the wind chill factored in. Winds could gust to as high as 40 miles per hour.

The Village of Island Park declared a snow emergency on Thursday morning, and officials advised residents to park in their driveways to allow for street plowing. They requested that anyone in need of assistance call Village Hall at (516) 431-0600.

More as this story develops.