Southold Town residents dig out after blizzard drops more than a foot of snow

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Side roads throughout Southold Town were passable, but slick Friday morning as residents returned to business as usual. 

For many, shovels hit the snow in the early morning hours in preparation for their commute — others waited for the what little warmth of the sun offered with temperatures in the teens and the wind chill below zero. 

Southold resident Mike Rebentisch began shoveling his driveway on Corey Creek Lane around 9 a.m., not-so-secretly hoping a plow would soon make it down the private road. 

“It’s not so bad, at least I could get the day off from work,” Mr. Rebentish said as he took a brief break. “I’ve been out here for about an hour. I keep telling myself 15 more minutes. I consider it my once-a-year workout.”

According to the National Weather Service, 13.6 inches fell was reported by a trained weather spotter in Mattituck. 

Visibility was spotty along Route 48 Friday morning. Although the roads were plowed and many spots were easily passable, wind blowing off drifts on open fields lining Route 48 made it difficult to see on some parts of the road.

But that didn’t stop people from getting outside and shoveling their way to work.

In downtown Greenport, Jim Kuhlmann, owner of the Whiskey Wind Tavern, and Andrew Rowsom, the owner of the building where his wife’s business, Heather’s Salon, is located, were outside shoveling the paths leading to their businesses.

Mailman Rusty Kransky was also hard at work, walking his 12-mile route to deliver the day’s mail to residents and businesses downtown. He said the snow makes the job more difficult, as many places are blocked by large piles of snow.

The blistering cold and strong winds didn’t help either and he said he wore multiple layers to survive the trip. “I’ve got dance tights, four pairs of socks and three face masks on,” he said.

Winds were gusting up to 40 mph in Greenport, where the wind chill values were between -5 and zero. A wind chill advisory is in effect for the entire East End until Saturday morning.

Armed with a shovel, Lea Bryant was helping her elderly neighbors clear their driveway on Stillwater Avenue in Cutchogue. She stayed indoors all day Thursday and had yet to make the trek into town.

Over on Track Avenue in Cutchogue, Greg Burns was clearing the area in front of his mailbox so mail could be delivered Friday — a good reminder for many.

Roads on New Suffolk Avenue were slippery in areas. Side streets overall weren’t in the best condition, with some areas still packed with snow. Main Road was cleared, except for some spots where snow drift blew snow back onto the road.