Winter Weather

Valley Stream hit with blizzard

Deep freeze expected overnight, warmer temps Sunday

Posted

Valley Stream residents woke up to about seven inches of snow this morning and are now beginning to dig their way out.

Light snow was still falling on Friday morning but had stopped about 9:30 a.m., and the sun came out. Not much melting is expected until Sunday, however, when temperatures are expected to climb into the 40s.

The village began its storm preparations early, salting the streets Thursday afternoon to prevent the snow from freezing to the road. Since last night, crews have been out plowing the nearly 90 miles of village roads.

Highway Superintendent Tim Leahy said village crews began plowing snow around 8 p.m. Thursday and have been going ever since. Leahy added that plows have been on every road in the village at least once so far, but due to high winds, the snow continues to blow back into the streets.

"The guys would come a long and they would have a street complete and then two hours later...with all the drifting it looks like we never touched it," he said. "We’re doing the same street three or four times."

The Highway Department's 19 pieces of equipment are now making additional rounds, Leahy said, and he advised residents to stay off the roads unless it's a necessity.

"The snow is very light," Mayor Ed Fare said, adding that is tough to gauge how deep it is because of the drifting. "It's fluffy. It's blowing all over the place."

Christine O'Toole, who lives in the Westwood section of Valley Stream, said she saw a plow come down her street several times. But because of the cold temperatures on Friday, she said, there was still a thin layer of snow on the roads.

She took her youngest sledding in Malverne, where there is a little hill near the Westwood train station. She said it is just a few blocks out of Valley Stream and popular sledding spot for kids from her neighborhood. "Basically every time it snows, everybody heads up there," O'Toole said. "It's close. There's parking. The roads were just too bad to go anywhere else."

Fare said that all the garbage was picked up on schedule this morning. He said there were no major emergencies during the storm, and no trees came down, which had been a concern because of the wind that was expected.

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