Highway Supe on storm: ‘We’ll take it’

Asked at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday if Shelter Island had dodged a bullet, Highway Superintendent Jay Card Jr. said, “We’ll take it.”

With grim forecasts from the National Weather Service of up to a foot of snow downgraded Tuesday morning to a wintry mix of ran, snow and sleet with snow accumulations of one to three inches, the real danger for Islanders is icy road conditions.

High winds throughout the day could also increase the possibility of power outages.

According to PSEG there were no reported disruptions of service reported as of 11 a.m.

Mr. Card said highway crews were out and hoped to clear Island roads “with one pass” this morning. He was monitoring forecasts that indicated there could be another band of snow coming through some time later today.

But for now there were no major incidents to report, he said. The crews had “pre-treated” some roads yesterday against snow and ice and this had proved effective.

The NWS is forecasting continued rain, snow and sleet before 1 p.m., then rain between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. followed by rain and snow showers. High temperatures will reach 35 degrees with wind chill values between 20 and 25 degrees.

It will continue to be a windy day with gusts out of the northeast that could reach 50 mph, according to the NWS.

Mr. Card advised staying off the roads today. “Everything is closed,” he said, “so why go out?”