Winter storm drops seven to 11 inches of snow in Freeport

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Snow will continue to blanket the village of Freeport through Thursday, dropping an estimated seven to 11 inches before ending by late afternoon or early evening. The National Weather Service has upgraded its forecast for Long Island to Blizzard Warning, with sustained winds and gusts blowing at high speeds.

Mayor Robert Kennedy said the village is prepared for the storm. The Office of Emergency Management did a call out to all residents asking that they remove vehicles from Village streets to allow passage of snow plows. Freeport has suspended parking meters temporarily and has allowed residents to park in any municipal parking lot during the storm except at the Recreation Center. The Electric Department has emergency crews on stand-by as well as the Freeport Fire Department. The Department of Public Works began plowing the streets this morning. Yolanda Padula said the plows were out by late morning up and down South Ocean Avenue several times.

By 5 a.m., a heavy, wet snow, mixed with freezing rain, had already begun to fall. The snow was expected to turn more powdery as temperatures dropped into the low 20s throughout the day. Snow could fall at three inches per hour at times, and accumulations could range between 7 to 11 inches.

Expect winds out of the north to blow at 20 to 35 miles per hour, with the strongest gusts up to 45 mph.