Nor'easter slams into Freeport

A massive nor'easter out of the west swept across Long Island early Monday, and prognosticators say it could drop up to a foot or more of snow across the area by Tuesday, with wind gusts expected to reach 30 to perhaps as high as 60 miles per hour.

Nassau County and Freeport officials urged people to stay off the roads during the storm if they could. Road conditions were already "treacherous" by Monday morning.

"Wind is going to play a significant role in this storm," said County Executive Laura Curran during a news conference Sunday. "We're talking about blizzard-like conditions.... It's going to be heavy, wet snow with a lot of wind."

“If you don’t need to go out, then please stay home,” said Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy.

The biggest snowfall will come between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday. The South Shore is expected to be "most vulnerable," the county executive said.

"As the day goes on, conditions are going to get more dangerous for driving," Curran said.

Two to five inches were expected to fall by the time of the morning commute at 9 a.m., and snow was expected to accumulate throughout the day after that.

The Freeport Department of Public Works had prepared for the storm ahead of time, stocking up on 2,000 tons of salt on Sunday and prepping 50 plows at the DPW yard on Albany Avenue. DPW left the roads pre-salted by 5 p.m. last night. 

Village officials sent out a call yesterday to all residents asking them to keep the streets clear so as to allow the plows through. Residents were free to park their cars on the grass or at municipal parking lots. 

“We also ask residents not to throw snow into the streets,” Kennedy said. “Freeport police will be enforcing this rule.”  

Village and county officials are working together to ensure that all county roads in Freeport are cleared. 

Kennedy added the Electric Department’s new outage management system allows them to pinpoint outages within the village.    

While no power outages have been reported yet, the Freeport Electric Department has about 20 linemen at hand to respond to any downed wires or damaged transformers. The linemen are also equipped to clear any branches that might fall due to the storm. 

Freeport Fire Department officials also urged residents to clear a path to any fire hydrants that might be in front of their homes to ensure firefighters can access them. 

The Freeport School District, like most other districts in Nassau, closed today for a “traditional snow day,” while a handful of districts like Franklin Square and Elmont switched to remote-only learning for the day. 

For all storm related issues or problems, call the Freeport Emergency Management Office at 516-377-2188. 

For a listing of district closures within the Herald's coverage area, click here. 

The Jones Beach vaccination center also closed Monday because of the storm.

For your hyperlocal forecast by zip code, see the National Weather Service here.

Power outages were expected. To report one, go to PSEGliny.com.

Expect delays and service disruptions on the Long Island Rail Road and NICE Bus. 

For more on NICE Bus, go to nicebus.com.

For more on the LIRR, go to mta.info.