Powerful winter storm slams Oceanside with blizzard-like conditions

Oceanside School District and library close due to inclement weather

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Updated: 6 p.m. Thursday: Oceanside schools, and all school related activities, will be canceled for a second day, on Friday, Jan. 5.

Updated: 5 p.m. Thursday: County Executive Laura Curran cautioned in a press release that "the storm is not over," and that the National Weather Service was expecting "blizzard-like conditions" until about 1 a.m. on Friday morning.

"Although the snow will begin to taper off over the next few hours," the statement said "the storm response is still not over and many dangerous conditions will remain. High winds, with gusts up to 55 MPH, will cause dangerous snow drifts and will reduce visibility to near zero.

According to the statement, there were 1,200 homes without power when the statement was released, mostly in the Town of North Hempstead and the Town of Hempstead. Additionally, the statement continues, "[Long Island Railroad] trains are beginning to experience delays and cancellations and NICE bus has suspended service. An increase in traffic accidents are also being reported."

Updated: 3 p.m. Thrusday: The National Weather Service estimates that the snow will continue to fall into the evening, until as late as 9 p.m., a change from their prediction on Wednesday that it would end around 4 p.m.

Oceanside sanitation commissioner Ed Scharfburg said that while Thrusday's garbage collection routes were canceled, the board would meet early on Friday morning to reassess whether to change the pickup schedule. Oceansiders can check the sanitation district's website and the Oceanside Herald's Facebook page for updated information.

23 year-old student Mike Elvezio, who runs a snow removal service, said that he would start making his rounds a little before 4 p.m. He noted that the snow drifts were especially high, due to the high winds, and said that he would have to stop twice at each of the 12 houses he's been asked to clear to ensure a completed snow removal job.

Updated: 9:45 a.m. Thursday: As predicted, a powerful winter storm rolled into the greater metropolitan area after midnight on Thursday morning, bringing with it snow, frigid temperatures and heavy winds.

The National Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning and a Coastal Flood Advisory for Nassau County on Thursday morning. It is expected to last through Friday morning.

Most parts of Nassau County are predicted to receive up to eight inches of snow when all is said and done, with localized totals as high as 10 inches, while Suffolk could see up to 14 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Weather forecasters had warned that the storm system could shift off its current track. If it were to have veered farther east, into the Atlantic, snow totals would have been smaller. It, however, stayed farther to the west, bringing greater snow amounts across Long Island.

The Oceanside School District announced on Wednesday night that its schools would be closed the next morning due to inclement weather. Additionally, the Oceanside Library is also closed due to the snow.

The Oceanside Fire Department recommended on its Facebook page that residents stay home.

The extreme cold will be worrisome on Thursday, according to the NWS. The temperature could drop to as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and as low as -5 degrees, with the wind chill factored in. Winds could gust to as high as 40 miles per hour.

More as this story develops.