Snowstorm slams Malverne and West Hempstead

Because of a major snowstorm, the Malverne and West Hempstead school districts, as well as Our Lady of Lourdes, Grace Lutheran and St. Thomas the Apostle schools, all canceled classes and activities on Thursday.

All of Long Island was under a Blizzard Watch on Thursday, as a low-pressure front moved through the region, according to the National Weather Service.

As snow came down hard across the region on the morning of Feb. 9, a robocall from Malverne Police Chief John Aresta announced that the Department of Public Works would soon be plowing the streets, and asked residents to clear the roads of any obstacles. "As a reminder, shoveling snow into the streets is a violation of village code," Aresta said. All on-street parking, he noted, would be suspended from noon on Feb. 9 through the morning of Feb. 10.

Malverne Mayor Patti Ann McDonald said the village's Office of Emergency Management, the Police Department and the Department of Public Works had been handling the storm well. "Paul Jessup was up at 4 a.m. preparing the roads for driving," McDonald said. "And I know that the DPW still picked up garbage as they always do on Thursdays. Everyone works hard together, especially in situations like this."

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration says to expect heavy snow that could fall at one to two inches per hour, with visibility at less than a quarter-mile to a half-mile.

Officials asked that people not park on streets to allow plow crews to clear the roads as quickly as possible.

Nassau County opened its Emergency Hotline at 5 a.m. For non-life-threatening emergencies, call (800) 315-5153. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 immediately.

Homeless people in need of shelter should call the county's WarmBed Hotline at (866) 927-6233

PSEG Long Island officials said to expect possible power outages. To report an outage, call (800) 490-0075.

The Long Island Rail Road canceled nine trains on six branches on Thursday because of a non-commuter train derailment at Jamaica Station the day before. Because of reduced service and the snowy weather, riders should expect delays, LIRR officials said. Go to mta.info for updates.

For flight delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport, go to panynj.gov/airports/jfk-airlines.html.

For airport alerts, go to airportinfoalerts.com/recentmessages.aspx.

More on this developing story throughout the day.