Rockville Centre, Long Island hit hard by winter storm

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. Snowfall projections increased throughout the afternoon and evening on Wednesday, as schools cancelled classes and local officials prepared to respond.

Most parts of Nassau County are expected to receive five 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.

In Rockville Centre, the NWS was reporting areas of blowing snow, with a high temperature of 27 and wind chill reaching between 5 and 10 degrees. Chance of snow was 100 percent, and accumulation of 5 to 9 inches was possible, with wind gusts to reach as high as 43 miles per hour.

All seven schools in the Rockville Centre School District are closed on Thursday due to the bad weather, the district announced on its website.

The village also announced Wednesday night that a snow emergency would be in effect beginning at 1 a.m., meaning that no vehicles were to be parked on any street, so that roads can be plowed, salted and sanded effectively. The snow emergency is in effect until all roads are cleared.

According to Rockville Centre spokeswoman Julie Scully, the village starts by applying salt to the streets, later plowing once snow accumulates. The village has 17 trucks that cover 13 plow sections, clearing all the streets before moving on to the parking fields.

“As a reminder,” Scully said, “we advise all residents to stay off the streets if possible, remove any vehicles parked in the street to make the plowing process easier, and do not throw the snow back into the street.”

Scully added at 10:30 a.m. that "the continuing snow and wind are making it difficult, but crews are working to keep the roads [clear] for pedestrians."

The end of the snow emergency will be posted on the village’s website — www.rvcny.us. Any questions can be directed to the Rockville Centre Police Department by calling (516) 766-1500.

The village also reminded residents at 2:30 p.m. of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of Emergency for Long Island. "Limit exposure to outdoors due to severe cold and wind chill factors," the village said in an email. "Check on elderly relatives and neighbors. Call 911 for emergencies only. Call (516) 766-1500 for routine calls to the Police Department. Village staff will be working hard and around the clock to get the Village back to normal as soon as possible.”

Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Charles Gennario said at 10 a.m. that there had been no reported emergencies yet, but added that his department is on stand-by.

“We’re hunkering down, and we’re prepared to respond to emergencies,” he said. “…We have a very good emergency management system in this village, probably better than a lot of villages around us, so we are prepared.”

Gennario advised everyone to stay off the roads and added that his biggest concern is power outages, which he said are sometimes unavoidable in storms like this, especially as the wind picks up.

In such a case, “we have to go around and make sure people on life support are OK,” he said, “so we already have contingency plans.”

Residents can report a power outage by calling (516) 766-5800.

Fire Chief Brian Cook said at about 2 p.m. that the Rockville Centre Fire Department had not had any emergencies — such as disabled vehicles or power outages — due to the weather, but had been responding to some automatic fire alarms and sick people.

Hofstra University canceled classes as well. Additional cancelations were expected.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen said Wednesday evening that the town had prepped 200 pieces of equipment to salt and plow the town's 1,200 miles of roadway. Gillen also urged people to stay off the roads.

"Roadways can be slippery and heavy snowfall can limit visibility," she said. "By minimizing vehicular traffic, roads can be cleared more quickly and residents can minimize the risks associated with driving in storm conditions."

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 on Thursday, according to the NWS. The temperature could drop to as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and as low as -5 degrees, later in the day, with the wind chill factored in. Winds could gust to as high as 40 to 50 miles per hour.

More as this story develops.

Updated: 5 p.m. Thursday: County Executive Laura Curran cautioned in a press release that "the storm is not over," and that the National Weather Service was expecting "blizzard-like conditions" until about 1 a.m. on Friday morning. "Although the snow will begin to taper off over the next few hours," the statement said "the storm response is still not over and many dangerous conditions will remain. High winds, with gusts up to 55 MPH, will cause dangerous snow drifts and will reduce visibility to near zero. According to the statement, there were 1,200 homes without power when the statement was released, mostly in the Town of North Hempstead and the Town of Hempstead. Additionally, the statement continues, "[Long Island Railroad] trains are beginning to experience delays and cancellations and NICE bus has suspended service. An increase in traffic accidents are also being reported."

Updated: 6 p.m. Thursday: Rockville Centre schools, and all school related activities, will be canceled for a second day, on Friday, Jan. 5.