Fed up with foul weather

More snow is predicted to fall in Long Beach on Saturday, continuing what, for many residents, seems to be a never-ending winter season.

Long Beach was already hit with multiple storms this week, with around seven inches falling on the barrier island on Thursday, and more sleet and rain following throughout the day and night. The city declared a snow emergency on Thursday, to allow for proper snow removal. It was lifted on Friday morning.

Though Saturday’s storm is only expected to bring one to two inches of wet snow, residents are already fed up with the recent string of foul weather.

Many residents lauded the city's snow removal efforts, saying that plows were constantly driving through their neighborhoods, clearing the falling snow and resulting slush. However, others took to social media to complain that, after spending time cleaning their sidewalks, the city’s plows threw snow and slush back on to the sidewalk, starting the process all over again.

Others complained of flooding on the bayside, near Lindell Elementary School because of blocked storm drains.

“The problem is there’s not a lot of places to put the snow, especially in the West End,” said John Bendo, president of the West End Neighbors Civic Association. “We’ve all had it happen, you spend an hour digging your car out, and then the plow comes by and pushes it all back on your car.”

Long Beach Police Department Lt. Mark Stark said that there were five car accidents on Thursday, but added that is an average number, and that the snow did not seem to cause an uptick in incidents. He said that, at this point in this snow-heavy season, it seems like people are getting used to driving in bad weather. But that doesn’t mean they should let their guard down.

“We advise residents to pay attention to others,” Stark said. “As safe as you are driving, you don’t know what the next guy is doing.

Stark recommended keeping more space between cars, and leaving more time to get places, adding that even if another driver is supposed to stop, they might not be able to.

“Four-wheel drive doesn’t mean four-wheel stop,” Stark said.

A High Surf Advisory, which was enacted on Thursday, remains in effect until 6 p.m. on Friday. The National Weather Service said that waves could reach six to 12 feet, though will be higher towards the eastern end of Long Island, and that it could produce minor beach erosion and rip currents.

Despite the warning, scores of dedicated surfers could be seen trudging though the snow to get to the waves on Thursday.