Say it Ain't Snow

With snow still piled up in areas from the powerful blizzard , Long Island is going to get socked with another white punch as the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon.

Weather service officials said Suffolk County may get blasted with between 10 to 15 inches of snow, along with winds gusting up to 35 mph. 

"There is going to be some heavy, heavy bands of snow," said Marcie Katcher, a spokeswoman at the weather service's Bohemia office. 

Snowfall is expected to be the heaviest late Tuesday night into early Wednesday, Katcher said. 

The storm, which is currently tracking up the East Coast after dumping snow and ice as far south as Florida, will not come close to rivaling the Dec. 26 blizzard, Katcher said, but she still advised residents to "take all precautions necessary to insure that you are safe during that type of weather." 

The  on Monday by spreading brine on the roads throughout Monday and will continue on Tuesday. “Islip Town is the first Town in Suffolk County to construct and operate its own brine facility. We use this saltwater mixture on our streets in advance of snow, which helps keep the roads clear,” said Amy Basta, Town of Islip Spokesperson. “We also have all our plows ready to go for when the snow does begin to fall. As always, we ask that residents refrain from parking on the streets when there is a snow storm so that our plows can easily navigate down each road.”

Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent John Rouse said the town has received regular sand and salt shipments for the last few weeks, which they have used for each of the preceding snow events the area has experienced. "We expect our sand and salt barns to be at 90 percent capacity by later this afternoon. We’ll have no problems in terms of having enough material," Rouse said.

The highway superintendent emphasized that every storm is different, but that the town is prepared. "What we do know in terms of constants is that storms like this are not a sprint they are a marathon given the huge size of our town," Rouse said. "All of our people are professionals who put in very long and hard hours during these storms, but take the appropriate time to rest so that we can operate in the safest environment as possible.  

Bayport-Blue Point School District has canceled school and all afternoon activities for Wednesday, Jan. 12. Check back with Patch for storm updates and school closings.