Snowfall Makes Region's Roads Slick On Saturday

UPDATE: 1:12 p.m.

East Hampton Town Police have responded to a number of fender-benders and disabled motorists, with some vehicles sliding off the road due to slick conditions, but no major accidents have been reported so far.

UPDATE: 1:10 p.m.

The Hampton Library in Bridgehampton is closed today.

UPDATE: 12:43 p.m.

National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Layer said the amount of snow expected on the East End has increased, with 4 to 6 inches of accumulation predicted by the end of the storm. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 p.m.. Snowfall is expected to taper off over the next two to three hours, he said.

Southampton Town Police report only seven accidents so far since the snowfall, with only four minor injuries reported, according to Lieutenant Bob Iberger.

UPDATE: 12:22 p.m.

Southampton Volunteer Fire Department Captain Chris Brenner reports that at 8:07 a.m. the department responded to a motor vehicle accident, with an individual trapped inside the vehicle, at the intersection of Montauk Highway and Scuttlehole Road in Bridgehampton. Units arrived on the scene and extricated an individual from one vehicle by popping the door. No life-threatening injuries were reported. Montauk Highway was closed from Hayground Road in Bridgehampton to just west of the scene for approximately 45 minutes. Road conditions at the time were hazardous due to the falling snow. First Assistant Chief Dennis Roy was in charge at the scene.

UPDATE: 12:10 p.m.

According to Southampton Town Police Lieutenant Robert Iberger, the town’s emergency preparedness coordinator, a motor vehicle accident briefly closed a portion of Montauk Highway in Sagaponack, near the Wolffer Estate Vineyard, on Saturday morning. The road has since re-opened.

Because of the winter storm, Lt. Iberger advised residents to stay off the roads if possible, and when driving to maintain a reasonable speed and leave space between vehicles. “Don’t tailgate,” he said, adding that leaving a bit of space allows for reaction time should a nearby driver skid.

SUVs, he added, are involved in a large number of accidents. “They can go 50 or 60 mph in the snow, but the problem is, they can’t stop.”

Despite a rash of fender-benders, no serious accidents have been reported during today’s snow, Lt. Iberger said.

Southampton Town has not declared a state of emergency, although the weather event has garnered a lot of attention because it is the first snowfall of the season. “If this were the fourth or fifth storm of the year, no one would be paying any attention,” he said.

ORIGINAL REPORT

Saturday morning brought the first real snowfall of the season to the East End, and officials are asking the public to stay safe—and stay inside.

According to Lauren Nash, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, snow began falling in the early hours of the morning, with Bridgehampton reporting an accumulation of 2 inches by 8 a.m; Eastport had an accumulation of 2.6 inches at 9:17 a.m.

“It should snow for another couple of hours,” Ms. Nash said. A total accumulation of 3 to 5 inches is expected across the East End. A winter weather advisory has been issued for Long Island until 6 p.m.

The snow, Ms. Nash said, is caused by a low-pressure system currently in Virginia and tracking northeast across the East End today. Snow could possibly mix with sleet in the early afternoon, she added.

By Monday, the snow will have moved out entirely, with temperatures expected to be in the 50s with a 90-percent chance of rain.

Southampton Town was ready to meet Mother Nature’s first event of the season, according to Highway Superintendent Alex Gregor. He said all 60 highway workers were called out at 5 a.m.

Mr. Gregor, who was on the road at 4 a.m., said snow began in Eastport at approximately 4:30 a.m. and began moving rapidly east. “That’s when we decided to pull the trigger,” he said.

Highway crews did one complete round of salt/sanding townwide in Southampton, completed at 9:30 a.m. When accumulations reach close to 3 inches, plowing can begin, Mr. Gregor said, adding that plowing has commenced townwide and is expected to be completed within six to seven hours.

The aim is to clear all the roads and apply a new layer of salt and sand on the ground townwide by 7 p.m.

“We’re trying to use technology, because we don’t have enough manpower,” Mr. Gregor said, adding that the Highway Department is particularly shorthanded in Noyac and North Sea, with some workers out due to surgery.

With fender benders popping up across town—and one accident reported on Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton, where there appears to be a layer of ice beneath the snow—Mr. Gregor asks residents to stay off the roads, if possible, to ensure safety and facilitate cleanup efforts.