One of the worst snowstorms to ever hit Long Island, dropping the most snow since 1963 — more than two feet in many locations — blasted the East End Sunday though Monday, leading to power outages and overwhelming East Hampton Town's fleet of snowplows.
Powerful winds rolled over the East End, with thundersnow just off Montauk Point, which was hit especially hard.
Joe Gaviola, the keeper of the Montauk Lighthouse, said it was the worst snowstorm he had ever experienced. He woke at 2 a.m. on Monday when the Lighthouse lost power.
"Withing a half-hour, wind gusts went from 45 miles per hour to 75. For the next six hours, the winds were over 60 sustained, and every hour we had gusts over 80. We topped out with an 88-mile-per-hour wind gust at 7 o'clock this morning," he said.
"I have not felt that sort of energy up here before, and I have been here for hurricanes," he added. "I think it was a combination of the winds with the wet, heavy snow pounding everything. It was so frickin' intense. Sometimes a big blanket of snow would be blown free of another structure and slam into the side of the building and it sounded like a cannonball hitting."
Police and emergency services officials urged residents on Tuesday to stay off the roads while cleanup crews continued to work. "The highway crews still need time to keep clearing both the main roads as well as the side and urban renewal map roadways. The less traffic on the roads, the sooner they will be cleaned up," East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said.
At the Sag Harbor Variety Store Tuesday. Christopher Gangemi photo
As it charged into the region, the storm underwent a meteorological phenomenon known as bombogenesis — a drop of at least 24 millibars of barometric pressure in 24 hours, falling approximately 40 millibars as it passed.
The storm's central pressure hit a low of 966 millibars, comparable to a Category 2 hurricane. At MacArthur Airport a low of 993.3 was measured along with approximately 30 inches of snow.
Photographs of a newly constructed dune at Ditch Plain showed that a fair portion of it had been sucked into the ocean, exposing an approximately six-foot shelf.
Scott Cullen, a resident of the Ditch Plain neighborhood, said via text, "Most of the western portion of the dune is gone. The big takeaway is they need to build it further back."
It was not clear as of Tuesday if the town would ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help with the cost of bringing in more sand.
Lazy Point Road as the snow ended Monday afternoon. David E. Rattray photo
By late afternoon on Monday, main thoroughfares in East Hampton had been plowed but smaller streets were still snowbound. Some residents of Northwest Woods said Tuesday that streets were still uncleared. In other places, roads were reduced to a single lane.
Many people lost internet service on Monday with reports of some restoration Tuesday afternoon.
"This was a massive amount of snow, which accumulated rapidly along with the high wind gusts making conditions very hazardous," said Chief Sarlo. Low-hanging wires continued to make conditions unsafe.
Gerry Turza, the East Hampton Village emergency medical services administrator, said that crews from the fire department and ambulance had been on standby as of Sunday night.
By Tuesday morning, the fire department had responded to seven calls -- most of which he said were related to carbon monoxide alarms. All were caused by snow-blocked vents, one a generator that hadn't been properly connected to the outside. Mr. Turza urged residents to make sure their vents were cleared of snow to prevent poisoning from the deadly gas.
"We have responded to over 65 reports of roadway hazards and have been tracking those locations and the status through dispatch, while keeping close contact with the utility companies and the Highway Department," Chief Sarlo said.
"Additionally, there have been reports of trees leaning on utility wires on private property, as well as some coastal flooding along the bays, and heavy drifting of snow encroaching on lanes of travel which had already been cleared." Because plowing has been limited to travel lanes, he said stopping or standing on roads with blocked shoulders was a hazard to other vehicles and plows.
E.M.S. crews, according to Mr. Turza, encountered snow drifts as high as six feet and had problems reaching houses during the three calls they responded to on Monday. With low visibility, house numbers were blocked. And "despite the travel ban, our responders encountered numerous civilian vehicles on the road, which impeded plow operations," he said.
East Hampton schools were closed on Monday and Tuesday, with remote learning scheduled for Tuesday. Adam Fine, the East Hampton School District superintendent, said by email on Tuesday that he was "happy to report we have been prepared for all aspects of this storm (as much as you can be prepared for over 20 inches). Teachers began remote this morning. Reports are positive so far."
Students at John M. Marshall Elementary School were able to pick up Chromebooks from the school on Friday. A second pickup day on Sunday was cancelled due to weather.
A county-wide travel ban, originally set to expire Monday at 9 a.m. was extended in East Hampton Town until 9 p.m.
On Monday morning, East Hampton Town Highway Superintendent Stephen Lynch, begged residents to stay off roadways, posting that a foot of snow remained in many thoroughfares despite the efforts of the plows. Many were taken out of service because there was no visibility and even they were getting stuck in the wet and sticky snow.
"We've been plowing all night, and it just keeps filling back in," he wrote Monday morning. "We're doing the best we can with what we have to work with. And I appreciate everybody being patient."
The town, county, and state had all issued states of emergency ahead of the storm. New York Governor Kathy Hochul activated 100 members of the National Guard. About 14,000 customers were without power Monday morning according to PSEG Long Island, including more 2,700 in East Hampton Town, the large majority of those in Montauk.
Scattered outages remained Tuesday evening.
