LI Blizzard Update: 20 Inches Of Snow So Far, Downed Trees, Power Outages As Massive Storm Hits

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Islanders woke Monday morning to up to 20 inches of snow, downed trees, power outages and even an overturned snow plow as a massive blizzard continued to pummel the region.

A blizzard warning remains in effect across Long Island until 6 p.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Bryan Ramsey, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, said that so far, snow totals have ranged between 14 and 20 inches on Long Island, with 19.8 inches reported in Center Moriches.

Heavy banding, with 2 to 3 inches of snow falling per hour, have led to snow accumulation numbers that are "changing by the minute," he said.

And it's not done yet: Snow will continue to fall Monday, with heavy banding, for the next two to four hours, until about noon, he said. Following the heavy snow bands, the snow will taper west to east Monday afternoon, he said. While that snow won't fall at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour, that snowfall will still lead to another 3 to 6 inches of accumulation, he said.

"Much of the heavy stuff will be over by noon," he said.

Strong wind gusts will continue throughout the day, Ramsey said. Monday morning, gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour are reported across Long Island, with maximum wind gusts during the storm so far reported at JFK airport, at 60 mph.

Those gusts will hold steady through midday, when they will step down but still be strong throughout the afternoon at 30 to 40 mph, Ramsey said. By daybreak Tuesday, the gusts will dissipate totally; on Monday night they're expected to be about 20 mph, he said.

Temperatures Monday will reach a high of 34 degrees, Ramsey said.

School closings, travel bans

The blizzard has led to school closings, states of emergency declarations, and travel bans across Long Island; Long Island Rail Road service was suspended Monday at 1 a.m. and Suffolk County buses have ceased running until Tuesday.

Power outages

The fierce storm has left about 16,000 residents without power, according to the PSEG Long Island power outage map.

Overturned snowplow

Whiteout conditions, fierce winds and snow have made driving impossible: According to Suffolk County police, a New York State Department of Transportation snowplow struck a guardrail and overturned on westbound Sunrise Highway, about 200 feet east of Exit on Sunday. at about 8:15 p.m., police said.

The male driver was not injured, police said. The road was closed until midnight.

According to Stephen Lynch, highway superintendent for East Hampton Town, all snow plow drivers were brought back to the shop at about 6 a.m. Monday morning. "Visibility is almost zero," he said. "We got over a foot of snow in the last two hours. Trucks are getting stuck all over. The roads are very icy — do not try to go out and drive your car. There is about a foot of snow on the roads," he said. "We've been plowing all night and it just keeps filling back in."

Lynch said he hoped by daylight the visibility would be better, so plow drivers won't have the glare from headlights.

"Please be patient with us," he said. "We're doing the best we can with what we have to work with. Thank you — and stay safe.."