Bellmore-Merrick digs out after snow storm slams community

Bellmore-Merrick homeowners began appearing from their snow-covered homes and digging out as light broke over a virtually pure-white landscape on Tuesday.

A severe winter storm dumped 10 to 14 inches of snow on Bellmore-Merrick from the early morning on Jan. 26 to Jan. 27, with winds whipping across the community at 25 to 35 miles per hour and drifts reaching two to three feet.

Like all of Long Island, Bellmore-Merrick was under a blizzard warning from Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. through midnight on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The warning was downgraded to a blizzard watch on Tuesday morning when winds and snowfall diminished.

At 10:15 a.m. on Monday, the Bellmore-Merrick Central District cancelled all classes for Tuesday, as well as all after-school and evening activities for Monday night. District officials said, however, that Regents exams scheduled for Monday afternoon would take place as planned.

The Bellmore, Merrick, North Bellmore and North Merrick elementary school districts cancelled all after-school and evening activities and Tuesday classes as well.

The National Weather Service was predicting 18 to 24 inches of snow, with locally higher amounts possible. Snowfall never reached those totals in Nassau, but the storm pummeled Suffolk County, dropping more than 20 inches in most parts.

At the height of the storm in Nassau County, snow fell at two to four inches per hour.

Winds were out of the north at 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts from 45 to 55 mph. Visibility was less than a quarter-mile. Temperatures were in the 20s.

The evening commute was treacherous on Monday, with cars backed up for miles on major thoroughfares as motorists navigated snowy and icy roads amid a blinding snowfall.

Governor Cuomo ordered all motorists except emergency personnel off the roads by 11 p.m. to allow plows to do their work, and for the most part, people followed the governor's orders. By the next morning, most roads had been plowed at least once, but blowing snow covered them over after the plows came through.

County Executive Ed Mangano told News 12 Long Island that there were fewer than 150 accidents during the storm -- fewer than expected.

More storm photos to follow. See this page for storm updates.

For the National Weather Service's forecast for Bellmore-Merrick, check out the NWS website here.