Rockville Centre hit with massive nor'easter

 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.

The heavy snowfall caused the Village of Rockville Centre to declare a snow emergency, and Mayor Francis X. Murray said that crews from the Department of Public Works would be working "around the clock to ensure the safety of our roadways." He also asked that property owners to remember that that they are responsible for keeping sidewalks clear.

Shortly after 9 a.m., Joerg Obermueller was out shoveling the sidewalk in front of his home on Hamilton Street. He said that, since he's been working remotely since the start of the pandemic, the storm was not too disruptive.

"It's not a big deal for me. Actually, I'm kind of enjoying being outside," Obermueller said. "I'm getting a little exercise."

All garbage and recycling pickup was suspended on Monday, Murray said, and will resume on the next regularly scheduled pickup day.

Nassau County and town 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 signifcant 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."

The biggest snow fall 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.

School districts across the county closed ahead of the storm. For a listing of district closures within the Herald's coverage area, click here. 

A handful of districts like Franklin Square and Elmont switched to remote-only learning for the day. Most others, including Rockville Centre, took a "traditional snow day."

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.

Thomas Carrozza contributed to this story