It’s finally starting to feel a lot like winter.
Long Islanders finally woke up to a blanket of snow Saturday morning as the small storm dumped several inches of snow on the Island, with parts of Suffolk County seeing the most snowfall.
As of 12:24 p.m. the National Weather Service in Upton reported more than 5 inches of snow in South Hampton, Sound Beach and Flanders. Almost a dozen other areas accumulated more than 4 inches of snow while some parts of Suffolk saw between 1 to 3 inches of accumulation.
Accumulation in Nassau was lighter Saturday morning with only Plainview seeing more than 2 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
The snow is expected to taper off toward the late afternoon in Nassau and early evening in eastern Suffolk, meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Upton said. A winter weather advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. in Nassau and 6 p.m. in eastern Suffolk.
Meteorologists said Nassau can see more than 3 inches of snow, with some parts of the North Shore possibly getting hit with 6 inches, with wind gusts reaching up to 25 mph. In Suffolk, forecasters said up to 7 inches of snow is possible, and the NWS warned of a “light coating of ice,” in certain areas.
Drivers are also being warned of slippery roads and limited visibility.
Photo Gallery: Snowy pictures sent from our readers
Lauren Nash, meteorologists with the NWS, said there could be a brief period where the snow could mix with sleet in the late afternoon. The snow and sleet is expected to make way for freezing rain before the storm blows away in the evening.
The snow started to fall early Saturday morning and there has been no reports of injuries by Nassau or Suffolk police, and there were no reported delays on the Long Island Rail Road.
The Long Island Power Authority was only reporting one outage that affected 14 customers as of 9:17 a.m.
The weather is expected to clear up Saturday night and Sunday should see mostly sunny skies with a high near 35 degrees.
From LIPA:
We’re watching the weather & are ready to respond. To report an outage call 8004900075, text OUT to 695472, or visit bit.ly/inohyQ
— LIPA (@LIPAnews) January 21, 2012