Southampton Town Remains Under State Of Emergency As Blizzard Slams Area

SOUTHAMPTON, NY – With a blizzard expected to slam the East End Sunday night into Monday, Southampton Town have reaffirmed the state of emergency originally issued effective January 25, 2026.

According to town officials, a state of emergency was originally declared effective January 25 at 3 a.m., which was slated to remain in effect for 30 days.

Since that time, the town, and region, have been impacted by extreme cold temperatures, additional snow, and icy conditions, "unlike anything we have seen in recent years," town officials said. "The state of emergency from January 25, 2026, remains in effect as meteorologists now forecast another significant winter weather event to impact the Town of Southampton from Sunday, February 22 until Monday, February 23," a statement read.

With up to 24 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour — as well as the possibility of moderate to major coastal erosion impacts — Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore reminded residents to take precautions.

"Residents and drivers are urged to remove all vehicles from roadways and avoid driving during the storm to allow our dedicated highway plow operators to try to maintain the roads and keep up with the high snowfall rates as best as possible," Moore said. "Residents should also use extreme caution in low lying, flood-prone, areas where flood waters may be hidden by a snowy layer. As they say, 'Turn around, don’t drown'."

With a blizzard warning in effect, gusty winds and heavy snowfall could make for extremely poor visibility at times, officials said.

Southampton Town Emergency Manager Ryan Murphy urged residents to "prepare for the storm and plan to stay put. We expect conditions to rapidly deteriorate from around 6 p.m. on Sunday through the night and into Monday. With the exception of highway plow operators and emergency vehicles, we urge other drivers to stay off the roadways. If the storm ends up being as bad as it is currently forecast, driving will not be safe, especially during the evening and overnight hours," Murphy said.

Residents are also encouraged to sign up for town weather and emergency alerts via Notify Me on the town’s website for updates. Additional winter weather safety information and winter weather tips can be found on the emergency preparedness page of the town’s website. In the event of power outages during the storm, residents can also text OUT to 773454 to let PSEG Long Island.

Also, town officials said, all Southampton Town facilities will be closed on Monday, effective 5 a.m.

Southampton Town highway department, parks maintenance and municipal works crews will be out "in full force," actively trying to stay on top of the rapidly falling snow in the face of deteriorating weather conditions, officials said.

"High rates of snowfall, coupled with windy conditions may present challenges to crews throughout the storm. Residents are urged to stay off the roads and avoid travel," officials said.

"The town’s emergency operation center will be open as of this evening and will be monitoring storm conditions," said Murphy. "All residents are urged to stay off the roads and avoid traveling during the storm. Conditions outside are expected to deteriorate rapidly."

Chris Brenner, public information officer for the Southampton Fire Department, also assured residents: "Our fire department and ambulance in the Village of Southampton will be on stand-by for anything that comes our way. We are always ready, willing, and able to protect the lives and property of our citizens."