Long Beach Prepares For Major Winter Storm: Latest Forecast, Cancellations, How To Prepare

LONG BEACH, NY. — Long Beach city officials say their crews are “fully prepared and stand at the ready” to meet the challenges of a winter snow storm that could leave anywhere from 8 to 15 inches of snow on Long Islanders’ doorsteps.

As of Friday afternoon, forecasts from the National Weather Service said wind chills Saturday would reach between -5 and 5 degrees. Forecasts say there is a 50 percent chance of snow Saturday night, with potential accumulation between 9 and 15 inches across Sunday into Sunday night. A mix of snow and sleet is forecasted for Sunday night, while forecasts indicate snow is likely to continue in the first half of Monday. The city is also under a winter storm warning from Saturday night through the opening hours of Monday.

City officials, however, said there was ample equipment and personnel ready to keep the city safe during the snow storm.

“We’re going to have 70 vehicles out there, at any one time we’re going to have at least 70 people out there, but there’s probably close to 100 people that will be out there on different shifts,” City Manager Dan Creighton told Patch. “We have about 400 tons of salt and sand ready to spread out on the roads, our vehicles have already been set up with plows, everyone’s ready to go.”

That equipment was on-hand already, save for an extra salt delivery that was already in the budget. The city's salt supply, Creighton said, has already been dipped into significantly during a cold winter that has brought more snow to Long Beach than the past couple of years.

Creighton said pre-salting of roads would begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, with city personnel remaining on roads throughout Sunday. Creighton also said that the storm would not coincide with the kind of high-tide event that sometimes causes bay-side flooding in the city, but said that cars should be off snow routes by the time the city's snow emergency goes into effect at 9 p.m. Saturday.

City officials said the first order of business when snow began would be to clear emergency routes, asking residents to remove vehicles from the following emergency routes once a snow emergency had been declared:

• West Beech Street from Nevada Avenue to Grand Boulevard

• West Park Avenue from Nevada Avenue to New York Avenue

• West Side of Maryland Avenue from Park Avenue to Beech Street

• West Side JJ Evans Boulevard from Park Avenue to Pine Street

• Shore Road from Long Beach Boulevard to Maple Boulevard

• East Pine Street from Neptune Boulevard to Curley Street

Additionally, city officials said parking on Pine Street Canal Bridges is prohibited, and alternate side parking would remain in effect. Vehicles parked on the emergency streets, city officials said, would be towed at their owners’ expense.

When asked what the best course of action was for Long Beach residents to stay safe, Creighton had four words: "Stay off the roads."

Finally, city officials said the decision to open schools Monday would rest with the school district.

Residents can sign up for community notifications from the city here.