North Fork shoppers rush for supplies as monster storm approaches
John Cool of Orient stocked his trunk with essentials from IGA Southold on Friday afternoon in preparation for the weekend’s impending storm. He picked up a few groceries, but mainly made the trip to get jugs of water.
He was one of many North Fork residents hitting the stores before what forecasts say could be more than a foot of snow.
“Now they are predicting that we get ice, along with the snow, which can bring down the wires,” Mr. Cool said. “Based on what they’re saying, I think it’s going to be pretty bad.”
Mr. Cool and scores of others stocked up as the North Fork braces for its worst snowstorm in four years. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for all of Suffolk County from 3 a.m. Sunday until 6 p.m. Monday.
Southold Town Supervisor Albert J. Krupski Jr. declared a state of emergency effective at 9 p.m. Saturday through 5 a.m. Tuesday, authorizing emergency management and town departments to take all necessary actions to protect life and property.
That came a few hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide emergency declaration Friday ahead of the storm.
Snow is expected to begin falling mainly after 7 a.m. Sunday, with up to a foot of accumulation possible during the day, according to the National Weather Service.The forecast calls for the heavy snowfall to turn into a wintry mix at night before changing to light snow that can drop an additional 2 to 4 inches overnight.”
With total accumulations between 10 and 14 inches expected, roads will become slick and hazardous, with visibility potentially dropping below one-quarter mile in heavy snow. Northeast winds will increase from 7 to 12 mph to 17 to 22 mph Sunday afternoon, with isolated gusts up to 40 mph possible.
The Southold, Greenport and Mattituck-Cutchogue school districts will announce Sunday whether school will be canceled Monday.
Oysterponds School District in Orient will hold remote instruction on Monday instead of a traditional snow day. Superintendent Justin Cobis said students will check in remotely until noon, then complete offline activities including measuring snowfall outside.
“We don’t have students on a screen all day,” Mr. Cobis said. “We mix in activities and lessons they’ll be performing in addition with mini-assignments with teachers.”
The last major snowstorm to hit the North Fork was the Blizzard of 2022, when parts of the region were buried under two feet of snow.
Mattituck-Cutchogue School Superintendent Shawn Petretti recalled the storm and the challenges it brought.
“It was a tremendous amount of snow and the biggest struggle for us was finding places to put the snow — and then heavy winds made blowing snow into roads and parking lots a big challenge,” Mr. Petretti said. “Especially here on the North Fork where it’s so open, it makes it a challenge to keep snow off the roads.”
Mr. Petretti said he plans to sprinkle birdseed on his driveway for traction — a common local practice that provides grip on icy surfaces without the chemicals in traditional ice melt.
Clearing the snow from driveways poses a danger to homeowners.
Thomas Santacroce, 65, said he decided to hire a landscaping service for the first time at the encouragement of his wife, rather than shoveling the driveway himself
“You got to watch out, a lot of people have health issues when they shovel,” said the Manorville resident after walking out of Griffing Hardware in Riverhead with a large bag of rock salt on Friday. “For this one, [the landscaping] is probably going to be a little extra, but it’s going to be worth it.”
Event cancellations and postponements began rolling in Friday as the storm approached.
The North Fork Polar Bear Plunge, originally scheduled for Sunday morning at Veterans Beach in Mattituck, has been rescheduled to Sunday, Feb. 1. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the plunge will be held at 10 a.m.
Mattituck Park District will be closed Sunday and Monday. All facilities and events are canceled.
A warming center will be open at the Peconic Lane Community Center, 1170 Peconic Lane, until 9 p.m. Saturday. The Department of Solid Waste will be closed Sunday and all non-essential town offices will be closed Monday.
Southold Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin said his department has been preparing for the storm since Monday. Some of the larger snow removal equipment and trucks haven’t been used since the 2022 blizzard.
“We need as much room as possible to store that snow in the shoulders,” Mr. Goodwin said. “Having vehicles and items blocking stuff from being able to get off the road just creates unnecessary obstacles.”
Mr. Goodwin urged residents to stay off the roads and to make sure no personal items are in the road, including garbage cans and basketball hoops.
Southold Police Chief Steve Grattan said the department typically increases staffing for such events and will be sending out preparedness messages via social media.
Greenport prohibits parking on all streets within the village during a snowfall of two inches or more. All residents are asked to use any of the village’s municipal lots if a driveway is not accessible.
PSEG Long Island said Thursday it has personnel ready to respond to any power outages caused by the storm. While the powdery snow that comes with extreme cold typically does not pose a threat to the electrical system, hazardous driving conditions could result in vehicles colliding with utility poles and damaging equipment.
The utility is encouraging customers to download its mobile app to report outages and receive restoration updates, or to report outages by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). Customers can also call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour electric service number at 800-490-0075.
Officials are reminding residents to check on neighbors, especially the elderly and homebound, and to bring pets indoors or ensure they have shelter. Residents should not shovel snow into the street and should remove snow and ice from sidewalks in front of their property.
In case of an emergency, dial 911. For non-emergency questions, call the Southold Town Police Department at 631-765-2600.
