North Fork hit with Winter Storm Hernando’s historic snowfall

The Blizzard of 2026 will go down in the record books, burying the North Fork under more than two feet of snow, knocking out power to hundreds of homes and bringing near hurricane-force winds that turned farm roads into impassable corridors of drifting snow.

Winter Storm Hernando, which began Sunday, Feb. 22, and raged through Monday, dropped 26.5 inches of snow on Orient and 23.3 inches on Mattituck, according to the National Weather Service. Shelter Island recorded 21.1 inches. 

Central Islip recorded a record-breaking 31 inches, the highest total in Suffolk County.

“The last time I remember a storm with this much snow was winter 2016 into ’17,” said Laurel resident Ryan DiGregorio. “Thankfully, I had a snowblower, but it was still a bear.”

Mr. DiGregorio, who lives on Delmar Drive, said he was without power for about 24 hours, starting around 1 p.m. on Sunday. 

Southold saw gusts of 69 mph — just short of hurricane force — while winds in Mattituck and Orient reached between 41 and 44 mph.

A countywide travel ban helped road crews battle the historic snowfall. The ban was lifted Monday afternoon.

“The conditions are horrible,” Southold Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin said during the height of the storm. “This was a very strong storm, and we have been at it nonstop, but it looks like we never did a thing.”

The storm was the worst to hit the area since the Blizzard of 2022, when the National Weather Service reported 25 inches in Orient and 18 in Mattituck.

The Town of Southold closed all non-essential offices Monday and Tuesday while emergency services continued to operate. 

North Fork school districts canceled classes Monday and Tuesday. Another snow squall that slammed the region on Wednesday morning caused a delayed start. 

Long Island Rail Road service on the Greenport branch was suspended through Tuesday, with partial service resuming Wednesday.

PSEG Long Island reported Tuesday morning that downed trees, branches and wires had left more than 1,000 customers without power across Long Island. On the North Fork, more than 100 households lost power. Two outages in Greenport affected 55 customers. Three outages in Southold affected 25 customers, and three in Mattituck affected 41. All power has since been restored.