Powerful winter storm slams Freeport with blizzard-like conditions; village prepares to salt streets

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Updated: 1:51 p.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.

In preparation for the snow, the village of Freeport Department of Public Works started pre-salting the streets as early as Wednesday night.

"The visibility is about 500 feet in Freeport," Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said. "Traveling on the road is really difficult and it's going to be much worst later today."

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.

Kennedy says the Freeport Electric and Power has a full staff of linemen and electricians out ready to assure the village has uninterrupted power or ready to respond in the event of a power outage.

"We're asking all residents to park cars in their driveway or municipal lots to allow plows to perform their job," Kennedy said.

The DPW has been out since 4 a.m. salting the roads along with 36 snow plows clearing 196 miles of Freeport roads, according to Kennedy.

"I want to remind all residents not to shovel snow onto the streets," Kennedy added. "The problem that this causes requires our plows replow and we end up blocking what has already been clean."

The Freeport Memorial Library also sent emails early Thursday morning alerting patrons of program cancellations and closure.

Nassau County school districts began canceling classes Wednesday night for Thursday. According to their websites, districts that had canceled school as of 6 a.m. Thursday included:

• Baldwin

• Bellmore

• Bellmore-Merrick

• East Meadow

• East Rockaway

* Franklin Square

• Freeport

* Glen Cove

• Hewlett-Woodmere

• Lawrence

• Long Beach

• Lynbrook

• Malverne

• Merrick

• North Bellmore

• North Merrick

• North Shore

• Oceanside

• Oyster Bay-East Norwich

• Rockville Centre

• Seaford

• All Valley Stream districts

• Wantagh

Hofstra University canceled classes as well. Additional cancelations were expected.

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, later in the day, with the wind chill factored in. Winds could gust to as high as 40 to 50 miles per hour.

More as this story develops.