With Snow Coming Saturday to East Hampton, Town Supervisor Urges Residents to 'Stay Home'

As residents hurry out to buy the bread and milk and rev up the snow blowers, officials in East Hampton are bracing for Saturday’s first blast of Old Man Winter.

According to Jay Engle, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, the snowfall totals on the East End depend on location, with snow expected to begin shortly before daybreak.

East Hampton Town is expected to see the least snow accumulation, with before four and six inches expected, Engle said.

Western areas of the South Fork could see six to eight inches, with eastern parts of Southampton Town also expected to receive four to six.

The North Fork, he said, is expected to see six to eight inches; Riverhead, meanwhile, could see between eight and 12,

A blizzard watch is in effect for the entire area, with a “50 percent confidence” the the East End could see sustained winds of 25 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour presenting potential hazards, Engle said.

East Hampton Town officials are busy gearing up for whatever Mother Nature has in store.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell Larry Cantewell said highway crews are “fully prepared” with equipment, personnel and sub-contractors on call. The town’s parks department and others will be involved in snow removal in parking lots and public places, he added.

“They’re all ready to go,” Cantwell said.

The supervisor added that town officials are monitoring any potential flooding and erosion along the shoreline.

Cantwell urged residents to stay home when the snow begins to fall. “Do what you need to do outdoors on Friday and obviously, stay home on Saturday,” he said.

East Hampton Town Highway Superintendent Steve Lynch reported that all equipment, including plows, are at the ready, with salt barns full. The town has been in contact with all sub-contractors and part-time employees to make sure all are ready.

“We’ll see what happens,” Lynch said. Although East Hampton is expected to receive less accumulation, he added, “The winds are going to be bad, so it’s going to seem worse,” with possible white-out conditions Saturday, he said.

Elizabeth Flagler, media relations specialist for PSEG Long Island, said the focus so far has been on monitoring the storm, performing system checks on critical transmission and distribution equipment and performing logistics checks to ensure the availability of critical materials, fuel, and other supplies.

“We will have personnel on hand to deal with any weather-related outages,” she said. “Contractors, including tree crews, will be available to assist the utility’s own skilled workforce, if necessary.”

While snow usually isn’t an issue for utilities, the possibility of heavy wet snow and high winds can increase the likelihood of downed wires and resulting power outages, she said, adding that vehicles striking utility poles can also cause wires to come down.

To report downed wires or power outages, customers should call PSEG Long Island’s Electric Service line at 1-800-490-0075.

Patch file photo.