Massive nor’easter sweeps across the North Shore

A massive nor'easter out of the west swept across Long Island early Monday, and prognosticators say it could drop up to a foot or more of snow across the area by Tuesday, with wind gusts expected to reach 30 to perhaps as high as 60 miles per hour.

Nassau County officials urged people to stay off the roads during the storm if they could.  Road conditions  were already "treacherous" by Monday morning.

"Wind is going to play a significant role in this storm," said County Executive Laura Curran during a news conference Sunday. "We're talking about blizzard-like conditions .... It's going to be heavy, wet snow with a lot of wind."

The biggest snow fall came between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday. The South Shore is expected to be "most vulnerable," the county executive said.

"As the day goes on, conditions are going to get more dangerous for driving," Curran said.

Sea Cliff Mayor Edward Lieberman said Village Hall is closed on Monday due to safety concerns for its staff. He said garbage pickup has also been suspended so all of the village’s resources and manpower can focus on storm cleanup. Plows have been out since last night, he said, and will likely be working for most of today in full force.

“Our paramount concern is to keep the streets clear so that any of our emergency vehicles, if needed to be responsive to any emergencies, would have the ability to proceed accordingly,” Lieberman said.

School districts across Nassau County have either gone fully remote or closed altogether, with the North Shore School District falling into the latter category on Monday. Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo said via email on Sunday that he will monitor the North Shore’s snow clearing process throughout the day to make an informed decision regarding Tuesday. He also sent around an email on Monday morning with a “Snow Day Challenge,” encouraging students to write Valentine’s Day cards to military personnel or healthcare workers.

Children from across the North Shore were eager to take advantage of their snow day.

Sea Cliff resident Suzanne Cohen said her children, Bea and Benjamin, who are 4 and 6 years old respectively, were very excited to hear about their snow day, although they were not quite as enthusiastic as braving the snow as they were during the last nor’easter on Dec. 17. Instead, they spent much of the morning excavating for “dinosaur fossils” through a rather messy, yet no less fun, activity set.

That subsided by the afternoon, Cohen said, as Benjamin volunteered to help her husband, Jared, shovel out their driveway. Bea joined in shortly after, and following the conclusion of their hard work, they took a break to sled down the hill in their backyard, joining the hundreds of children enjoying the snow on Monday.

The Jones Beach vaccination center also closed Monday because of the storm.

For your hyperlocal forecast by zip code, see the National Weather Service here.

Power outages were expected. To report one, go to PSEGliny.com.

Expect delays and service disruptions on the Long Island Rail Road and NICE Bus. 

For more on NICE Bus, go to nicebus.com.

For more on the LIRR, go to mta.info.