Herald Video: Nor'easter hits Bellmore-Merrick

A nor'easter barreling out of the South blanketed Bellmore-Merrick with more than six inches of snow, causing hazardous driving conditions. All Bellmore-Merrick districts closed school on Thursday morning, and few cars could be seen on the roads, which were silent, except for the sound of falling snow and the wind blowing through the trees.

The National Weather Service was calling for a high of 34 degrees Fahrenheit, with a low of 30 degrees. Snow was expected to fall through the morning, and potentially turn to freezing rain and then back to snow later in the afternoon.

The Town of Hempstead declared a snow emergency, and Nassau County officials were cautioning motorists to stay off roads or use extreme caution if they must go out.

PSEG Long Island officials said there were fewer than 100 outages reported as of early Thursday morning, but they cautioned that the day was far from over.

John Prague, 57, of Merrick, said he thought the weather has been terrible so far this winter. “I can’t believe it,” Prague said, surveying thickly falling snow as he paused from shoveling his home’s driveway. “I’m just waiting for it to rain now.” 

He also expressed light-hearted envy of friends of his who recently departed for Florida. “They left yesterday,” Prague said. “It was a good call.” 

Giancarlo Firriolo, 14, of Merrick, took the opposite view. For him the snow meant a day off from school and the opportunity to earn some cash.  “I love winter,” Firriolo said as he pushed a snow blower across his home’s driveway. He said that between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. he aimed to clear out the driveways of 20 to 25 neighbors’ homes.

The only downside of all the recent snow days? “I just hope [school administrators] don’t cancel our spring break,” Firriolo said.