From western Nassau County to Montauk Point, Long Island towns are preparing for what could be the largest winter storm to hit the region in four years.

Meteorologists are forecasting 6 to 12 inches of snow this weekend — with local accumulations of up to 15 inches. The snowfall is expected to start falling early Sunday morning and last until Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

On the East End, where open farm fields can expose roads to snowdrifts, highway superintendents are preparing by checking snow fences, which help trap windblown snow, and readying large snow-blowing trucks.

“I don’t really fear the total, I fear the wind,” Riverhead Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski told NEWSDAY. Snowdrifts caused by strong winds can make roads near farms hazardous and impassable, he said.

According to the forecast, gusts on Sunday could reach up to 30 mph.

“We have a few roads that are very open with farm fields on either side,” Southold Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin said. “A road like that, you go through and open it up, and by the time you get to the other end of it, it doesn’t look like you were ever there.”

Employees with the Town of Southold's Highway Department and Department of Public Works will work 24 plow routes to clear 400 miles of road, Goodwin said. A crew will also be stationed on Fishers Island, responsible for about 10 miles of road.

Ahead of the storm, crews are checking plow blades, equipment and about 7 miles of snow fencing throughout town.

Officials expect one of the storm’s biggest challenges to be its duration.

“It’s tough on the crew. It’s a mentally draining job to stay sharp, to stay safe,” said Goodwin. “I’m hopeful that everybody will be able to go home on Monday evening and start to get caught up on a little bit of sleep."

Officials are offering a few reminders about managing the storm, ranging from travel impact to keeping pets safe.

Officials have warned people to avoid travel. But for those who must, it's wise to check for cancellations and schedule changes.

Several airlines have offered to waive change fees ahead of the storm in order to reschedule flights in case of widespread cancellations. There were minimal delays and cancellations listed as of yesterday afternoon at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports through Saturday.

The MTA and Long Island Rail Road generally begin reducing service for between 8 to 12 inches of snow, according to the MTA.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has traditionally seen significant suspensions of service or shut down the full system during more than one foot of snow or blizzard conditions. Service may also be interrupted during subzero temperatures.

The National Weather Service advised those who must drive to consider taking a winter storm kit in case a vehicle gets stuck or stranded. Supplies may include tire chains, jumper cables, a flashlight, a shovel, blankets and extra clothing.

***

East End Arts holds a reception tomorrow for its last show before a massive renovation of its East Main Street Campus in Riverhead.

This year’s member’s show, is titled “In Motion.”

The exhibit’s Opening Reception is Saturday, January 24…that’s tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Movement is both the inspiration and the metaphor for this year’s show, symbolizing not only artistic energy and transformation but also the exciting transition of East End Arts Council itself. This exhibition marks the final show at 133 E. Main Street before the organization’s temporary relocation during the Riverhead Town Square revitalization project.

East End Arts “In Motion” opening reception is tomorrow at 4 p.m.

***

Long Island schools are gearing up to tackle the threat of a major snow storm this Sunday into early Monday.

Lorena Mongelli reports in NEWSDAY that school district superintendents said they consider snowfall amounts, icy conditions, temperatures and travel conditions in determining closures. Parking lots, walkways, paths and roads need to be cleared. The schools coordinate with local officials, agencies and transportation partners to determine the best course of action.

Timothy Eagen, president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, said, "District officials will be speaking to town highway departments and facilities supervisors before making decisions." He added that the timing of when the storm hits also matters.

Most districts said they will be making a decision Sunday afternoon or evening about potential closures on Monday. Some districts said there could also be delayed openings on Monday.

Most districts said they have incorporated one to three snow days into the academic year. Robert Lowry, deputy director for Advocacy, Research and Communications at the New York State Council of School Superintendents, said that districts only shift to remote instruction after "exhaust[ing] available days.” East Hampton schools Superintendent Adam Fine said a traditional snow day is “important to the community,” and is included in the calendar year but “if we have subsequent snow days, we will then go remote.”

***

The Trump administration yesterday told a Suffolk County school district that it violated federal civil rights laws by changing the names of its school mascot – a move it made to comply with a state ban on Native American imagery. Alex Mitchell and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon report in THE NY POST that the decision by the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the Connetquot Central School District in Bohemia is the latest challenge from Washington DC to a New York State law that bans the use of Native American-inspired names, mascots or logos.

The Connetquot school board drew fire from the federal government for complying with the state requirement. “OCR {Office for Civil Rights} found the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by re-naming their traditional ‘Thunderbirds’ mascot to the ‘T-Birds’ solely because it originates from Native American symbolism,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement. “We expect the District to do the right thing and comply with our resolution agreement to voluntarily resolve its civil rights violation and restore the Thunderbirds’ rightful name,” Richey said. “The Trump Administration will not relent in ensuring that every community is treated equally under the law.” Federal officials argue that the state ban on Native American-themed logos and names violates civil rights law because the same standard does not apply to other racial or ethnic groups, “thereby unlawfully implementing race- and national-origin-based classifications in education policy.”

Connetquot officials reached a compromise with state officials in September by agreeing to change their name to “T-Birds,” which is essentially a shortened version of Thunderbirds. With yesterday’s ruling, the federal government has now said that’s not good enough.

A Connetquot spokesperson said the district was reviewing the letter.

***

A push to seek National Register recognition for Riverhead’s Polish Town is moving forward, with town officials asking residents to help document the neighborhood’s buildings and collect the stories and records that could support the designation. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that during a Riverhead Town Board work session last week, Landmarks Preservation Committee chair Richard Wines outlined plans to form a small subcommittee to begin the survey work needed for a National Register of Historic Places historic district nomination. Wines said the proposed district could encompass a large area — potentially hundreds of properties — and the first step is a comprehensive survey that includes photographing buildings, doing archival research and interviewing people familiar with the neighborhood’s history. “We’re going to need to photograph all of the buildings, all of the resources,” Wines told the board, describing the effort as a community-driven project that will rely on volunteers to gather information and help identify people who have documents, photos or firsthand knowledge to share. A National Register district is different from a locally regulated historic district, Wines said. Listing on the National Register does not, by itself, impose restrictions on private property owners. Instead, he said, the practical “strings” are tied to tax credits: owners who seek preservation-related credits must meet rehabilitation standards to qualify, but owners who do not pursue credits are not automatically bound by new rules. Wines told the board that one goal of the designation is to make state and federal incentives available for rehabilitation work.

Riverhead Town Councilwoman Joann Waski said the undertaking is substantial and will require broad participation to keep Polish Town’s legacy from being lost. Waski said people interested in helping should contact her office so volunteers and potential sources can be connected with the subcommittee and the Landmarks Preservation Committee as the work begins.

***

Five Long Island school districts have been designated as facing varying degrees of fiscal strain, NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced yesterday.

Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that the districts, all in Suffolk County, were among 31 statewide highlighted in DiNapoli's report, which is based on information from the school fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. The comptroller's office said that number is up from the prior school year, when 22 districts were considered to be in fiscal stress, including three on Long Island.

Of the five Suffolk districts listed in yesterday's report, the South Country school district was the only one to be identified as facing "moderate stress" — the second-highest level measured by DiNapoli's office.

Four other Suffolk districts — Greenport, Port Jefferson, Southampton and Three Village — were all classified in DiNapoli's report as "susceptible" to stress, the state's mildest of three categories.

Jean Mingot, Southampton's assistant superintendent for business, said that he identified discrepancies in the district's cash and investment and liabilities categories in the comptroller's report.

"We will be contacting the Office of the State Comptroller to request a review and correction of the district’s fiscal stress score," Mingot said.

A release from the comptroller's office said fiscal stress determinations are based on factors such as "year-end fund balance, operating deficits, cash position and reliance on short-term debt for cashflow." DiNapoli in the release suggested that a loss of pandemic funding has put a strain on some school districts.

The release states that from the 2019-20 school year to 2024-25, districts spent $4 billion of about $4.6 billion in available federal pandemic relief funding.