Nor’easter turns Glen Cove into 'Winter Wonderland'

At 7:50 a.m., 14-year-old Aidan Waters came down the stairs of his home donned in winter gear.

"He said 'okay I'm ready," recalled his mother Sarah Cecilie Finkelstein Waters, who hadn't even had her cup of coffee yet. "He was all dressed up. I said 'ready for what?' He said, 'I'm ready to go sledding...' He didn't want to waste a minute." 

A powerful nor'easter had whipped across Nassau County Wednesday into Thursday morning, dumping 3 to 6 inches of snow on the South Shore and 4 to 8 on the North Shore. The snow, at times, mixed with light rain, left a thin sheen of ice atop the white stuff.

Aidan, along with his 10-year-old brother Dan Waters, spent the day sledding at Morgan Memorial Park, Deasy School and anywhere they could find a hill, Finkelstein Waters said. "They were out all day," she said. "My kids were born in Norway, so they're born with skis on their feet. They were just racing to get out there in the snow. They wanted to take advantage of every moment of it." 

Road conditions had better on main thoroughfares, worse on side streets.

“[The Glen Cove Department of Public Works] has done a wonderful job as they always do,” said Glen Cove Police Department Chief William Whitton. “So the roads right now are actually in pretty decent shape. My recommendation would be to not go out if you don’t absolutely need to because there is still, obviously, a coating of ice and snow on the road ways and it makes for slippery travel.”

Keeping cars off the road would also make it easier for DPW to get the roadways cleared, Whitton said, adding that to his knowledge there’s only been one reported car accident amid the snow storm.

As Glen Cove DPW finishes clearing the streets of snow, they ask the following of residents:

-Shovel sidewalks in front of homes.

-For those who live on corners, shovel an opening from the sidewalk to the street.

-Don’t shovel or blow snow into the street.

-For those who hire a private snow removal company, be sure they do not deposit snow on public property.

-Clear a space for trash cans so sanitation workers can access it.

-For those who have a storm drain near their home, keep it clear of snow, ice and debris so that melting snow will be able to drain.

-Clear away snow and ice from fire hydrants so the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department can access it in the event of an emergency.

-Refrain from parking within 15 feet of an intersection to allow plows to make the turn.

-If possible, stay off the roads during the snow emergency to permit ease of plowing operations.

There will be no garbage or recycling pickup on Thursday. Those scheduled for Thursday pick up will now be on Friday, and those normally scheduled for Friday will have their garbage and recycling picked up Saturday, City of Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke said in a statement.

The mayor thanked residents for doing their part, as well as DPW for working through the night to clear the major roads so that emergency vehicles could get through. 

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, snow still appeared to be falling lightly, and wind gusts remained strong. The Glen Cove City School District closed for all in-person and remote instruction on Thursday and cancelled the parent-teacher conference scheduled for the day as well. Information regarding a re-scheduled parent-teacher conference is forthcoming, the district stated on its website.

"It's so important to keep what ever traces of normalcy we can keep," Finkelstein Waters said. "That was one of the joys before Covid. that a snow day was a snow day." 

Finkelstein Waters added that she would have understood whatever choice the district made regarding a snow day, but her family was pleased to have the day to play in the snow. "The kids were the happiest of them all," she said. 

Stacey Karathanasis said she was also happy that her kids got to be kids.

"My husband took them out to clear the area and the two cars," she said. "They disappeared for at least four hours. There was so much snow outside... They went out. They enjoyed the snow and made a snow man. They had a snow fight. We had hot chocolate; all the stuff that comes with a snow day." 

The Long Island Rail Road was running 10 to 15 behind schedule systemwide. NICE Bus also reported delays.

PSEG-Long Island reported that about 3,300 Long Islanders lost power overnight, with 150 outages on Thursday morning. A cluster of outages near Bella Vista Avenue is expected to be restored at 4 p.m. according to the PSEG Long Island Power Outage Map. Cause of those outages is pending investigation.

Nassau County opened warming centers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday at Cantiague Park in Hicksville, Wantagh Park in Wantagh and Mitchel Field Athletic Complex in Uniondale. For after-house housing emergencies, call 1 (516) 573-8626.

Residents should also keep pets indoors and look out for their neighbors, Tenke said in a statement.

“Look out for one another,” Whitton said. “Everyone’s going to be out there clearing their driveways, so the best thing to do with that is go slow and easy. It doesn’t have to happen all at once.”

To report a fallen tree or snow issue, call the Department of Public Works hotline at (516) 656-2967 and to report a power outage, call PSEG Long Island at 1-800-490-0075. Use 911 for emergencies only.