Thursday, October 1, 2026
Get the shovels ready again. A little more than two weeks after the city was buried in nearly two feet of snow, Long Beach officials girded for another winter blast after the National Weather Service issued a storm watch effective Tuesday at 7 p.m. through Wednesday morning.
With heavy snow expected and accumulations of up to 18 inches, wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph and low visibility, the city issued a snow emergency on Tuesday. The heaviest snow is expected to occur late Tuesday night into early Wednesday.
On Monday and Tuesday, city workers were busy preparing for the pending storm, City Manager Charles Theofan said, adding that the city is taking a different approach after crews faced a number of challenges during the blizzard that dumped approximately 16 inches of snow on the city in just under 24 hours, that, along with winds of 30 to 40 mph, made cleanup efforts difficult, especially along the city’s more narrow roads in the Canals and the West End.
While the storm was not initially expected to be as severe as the Dec. 26 blizzard, the National Weather Service is forecasting up to 18 inches or more for Long Island.
Theofan said that crews are gearing up for the removal effort.
“When it comes to snow removal, we do not hold back and we do everything we can,” Theofan said. “The snow storm that’s predicted is different from what we faced last time. I think we made a very good effort during the last storm during unfavorable conditions, and it was rare to get that volume of snow.”
Although 40-60 vehicles worked throughout the week plowing streets starting on Dec., 26, some of the challenges snow removal crews faced during the last storm was accessing the city’s narrow streets, particularly in the Canals and the West End, which plows and payloaders had difficulty negotiating due to abandoned or stuck vehicles. The high winds also led to further accumulations throughout the week on roads that had already been plowed by Tuesday, Theofan said.
