The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Watch for all of Suffolk County, including the Miller Place-Rocky Point area, from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon. The previously issued Winter Storm Watch has been cancelled by the National Weather Service.
The nor'easter forecasted to hit Long Island starting late Thursday evening is expected to bring upwards of 8 inches to 12 inches of snow to the area, with locally higher amounts.
- Click here for 10 ways to use Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch during the blizzard.
Wind gusts associated with this classic New England nor'easter will range from 25 to 35 miles per hour with howling gusts hitting 60 miles per hour. Downed trees, tree limbs and flying debris could also be part of the problem and winds will also cause whiteout conditions and possibly down power lines, creating power outages.
The National Weather Service forecasts the strongest winds and heaviest snowfall will occur from Friday afternoon into Saturday morning, although snowfall should begin early Friday morning.
In addition, a coastal flood watch is in effect, as the NWS predicts tidal departures from three to five feet during Friday night's high tide. "Widespread flooding of vulnerable shore roads" could result.
A Blizzard Watch is issued when there is potential for falling and/or blowing snow with strong winds and extremely poor visibilities – it is considered more serious than the previous Winter Storm Watch.
A technical "Blizzard" would mean the following conditions over a period of three or more hours: sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour or higher with considerable blowing and/or falling snow that frequently reduces visibility to less than a 1/4 of a mile.
Patch will continue to monitor the nor'easter as it approaches Long Island.
