Update: School closed today

Shelter Island School officials have announced that due to the forecast of the snow not changing over to rain until later this afternoon, school will be closed today, Thursday, February 13th.

The several inches of snow that has accumulated will mix with rain this afternoon and turn back to more snow in the overnight hours Thursday, weather officials are saying.

As much as four to six inches could fall on Shelter Island in the next 24 hours.   A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Friday and a Coastal Flood Statement has been issued beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Temperatures will hoover above freezing, getting as high as 38 degrees before dipping below freezing in the overnight hours.

“It’s going to be a pretty raw, ugly day,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist David Stark.

Shelter Island Highway Department crews have been manning plows since the snow started to fall in the wee hours this morning, according to Superintendent Jay Card, Jr. The plows will be operating until the storm turns to rain sometime later today.

“If we get the volume of snow off the roads, the rain might help wash away the rest,” Mr. Card said.

But then the crews will be back at it around five o’clock this afternoon when the rain turns back to snow if the weather forecast is correct,  he said.

Since the department is small, there are no split shifts. “We all go right through” Mr. Card said, until the job is done.

Advice to residents to help the road crews? “Send cookies,” Mr. Card said.

But on a more serious note, he said the best thing Islanders can do is stay off the roads.