TWF 366: Nor'Easter This Weekend (approx. 9/25/2026-9/28/2026)

 Hello, friends,

I hope you're all doing well.  I also hope you've all been paying attention to the weather.  If you have, this article comes as no surprise to you; if you haven't, well, take a deep breath.

This applies to all of Long Island, really.

This weekend, we're supposed to be getting a Nor'Easter storm.  Accuweather brings you the details, but for the absolute basics:

First, the winds are supposed to be pretty strong starting Friday (I.E. Tomorrow), I'm seeing anywhere from 50-80 MPH depending on where you are.  That means stow away anything outside that you don't want blowing around.  Also, spend this time preparing in case you lose power.

Second, there's gonna be a lot of rain.  A lot.  That means roads might flood, so the usual rules apply.  Don't try to drive in water that's too deep to see the bottom of, keep an eye out for downed power lines that go into puddles, all that jazz.

Third, when you put the first two together there's a good chance of coastal flooding.  It's a full moon, and all that wind is gonna push water around.  The Freeport Fire Department doesn't seem to think there is a tremendous risk of flooding beyond today, but it's hard to tell since this information is from yesterday (I.E. Wednesday) and may be outdated as the storm track may have changed.

Accuweather says it's gonna keep raining until Monday.  Hopefully by that time the worst is over, but that doesn't mean it will be.  Just be prepared with things like keeping your cell phones charged, having some battery backups, having some flashlights on hand, and all that jazz.  If you lose power, try not to open your fridge/freezer if at all possible to seal the cold in and hopefully preserve your food - but if it's out for too long, don't feel forced to keep it, either.

Otherwise, yeah.  Just be safe.

Jesse Pohlman is an ex-Freeporter who hopes you're all doing well in these trying times.  If you want to support his work, he's a fantasy/sci-fi author whose latest novel, Locker's Rebellion, is available in physical print or Kindle format via Amazon.

TWF 357: Major Storm Incoming This Weekend (10/10/2025)

Hello, Freeport (and the whole of Long Island, and the north-east in general),

I hope this post finds you well.  While I'm no longer weekly - nor a present-tense Freeporter - I do keep an eye on Long Island in general, my hometown in particular, and situations that might impact those I care about back home.

So if you've been living under a very peculiar rock (wherein you see this post but haven't heard about this elsewhere), there's a major storm system coming through this weekend that you should be prepared for.

Accuweather has an article about it here.  Of particular note is the line that the storm surge "could rival that of Sandy in some areas."  That's no small claim, so if you're near the shore?  Be alert for warnings and be prepared to protect yourselves.

Hopefully it won't be that bad, but one can never be sure.

For the video-centric among you, Ryan Hall has a video that covers the storm (starting a few minutes into the video) here.  I'd suggest subscribing to Ryan's Youtube channel, he makes good weather warnings.

The New York State Department of Health has a list of things to do to be storm-prepared here.  Make sure you're covered for your specific situation.

Otherwise, that's about all I have to say for now.  Leave a comment if you have any feedback.

TWF 336: Nor'Easter Inbound - Expect Some Snow

 Hello, friends,

Just a quick one to remind you (as if you didn't already know) that there's a Nor'Easter headed to New York.  Well, really to the whole north-east.

Here's a look at the current AccuWeather map:  

Now, there's no guarantee there's going to be a lot of snow.  In fact, it seems like there won't be all that much.  Still, here's a list of our usual winter weather advisory tips, though you might not need to get the car off the road for this one (? that's to-be-determined):

- Try to stock up on anything you need before the snow gets heavy.  It goes without saying that if you can't drive safely, if you can't move well, then you are at risk of getting injured while walking around, or crashing your car if you risk driving.  I know it's kind of an old motif, but get your "bread and milk" now.

 - Keep your pets and beloved animals inside!!!  They won't be able to move through two feet of snow any better than you will, and if the temperature is cold out, they can get sick or even freeze to death.  Have some compassion.  If you can, put out a large styrofoam box/cooler/something, stuffed with straw, for local stray cats/animals to take shelter in; in these days, compassion is a must.  If you've got some spare pet food, put that out - staying warm burns calories.

 - Help your neighbors clear the snow from their sidewalks if you can.  If possible - and I mean unless you absolutely cannot - clear out a 3-feet circle around your nearby fire hydrants.  (via TJ Johnson.)  Make sure to dress warmly, wear sturdy and stable boots, and take your time shoveling!

 - If the power goes out, be careful with candles! Nobody needs a fire!

 - Keep a cell phone handy; a battery-powered radio is a good idea, too.  If you need to report a non-life-threatening emergency, call the Nassau County line at 1-888-684-4274.  For medical emergencies ONLY, use 911.  Charge it up as much as you can as early as you can.

 - Get your car off the road!  Park your cars in your driveway, if you can. (Via FFD member Robert Volpe).  Village lots are typically available for public parking if you can't.

 - Try to have cash available!  In the event that there is no electricity to run credit cards or operate ATMs, you'll want to have money around if you need to pay for anything.

 - Once the storm is over, call your friends and family and see if they're alright!

Anyway, that's really about it.  Just care for each other and we'll be through this hopefully quick!

TWF 282 - The Freeport Weatherman (No, not really) Predicts Another Storm.

Hi, again.

Look, I know you don't want to hear about the incoming weather, anymore.  Spring has sprung and all of that, and you wanna be done with the snow.  You'd probably rather save yourself the click on this Accuweather link explaining it all more scientifically than your local blog-writer ever could, right?

Let's just get down to brass tacks:

In case you're wondering:  Yes, Long Island is in that 12-18 inch band that'll hit us by Wednesday night.  That's significantly more snow than we got with regards to the previous two storms, most of which had melted off of our sidewalks by the end of the day.  It's being called Nor'Easter 4, but as one Twitter user, Robbie, explained:

#Noreaster4 ??? Everyone realizes #Foureaster is dangling right in front of them as the much better hashtag???

— robbįe? (@rj_batch) March 20, 2018

Basically put another way by Mary Flaherty, whose name is quite alliterative by the way:

Yesterday, I was supposed to only be getting 1-3 inches of snow. Now I'm getting 1-3 inches PER HOUR. #Noreaster4

— Mary Flaherty (@Nightinghawk) March 20, 2018

So, you know the drill.  Now for me to re-post some common winter safety tips:

- Try to stock up on anything you need before the snow gets heavy.  It goes without saying that if you can't drive safely, if you can't move well, then you are at risk of getting injured while walking around, or crashing your car if you risk driving.  I know it's kind of an old motif, but get your "bread and milk" now.

 - Keep your pets and beloved animals inside!!!  They won't be able to move through two feet of snow any better than you will, and if the temperature is cold out, they can get sick or even freeze to death.  Have some compassion.  If you can, put out a large styrofoam box/cooler/something, stuffed with a spare blanket or two, for local stray cats/animals to take shelter in; in these days, compassion is a must.  If you've got some spare pet food, put that out - staying warm burns calories.

 - Help your neighbors clear the snow from their sidewalks if you can.  If possible - and I mean unless you absolutely cannot - clear out a 3-feet circle around your nearby fire hydrants.  (via TJ Johnson.)  Make sure to dress warmly, wear sturdy and stable boots, and take your time shoveling!

 - If the power goes out, be careful with candles! Nobody needs a fire!

 - Keep a cell phone handy; a battery-powered radio is a good idea, too.  If you need to report a non-life-threatening emergency, call the Nassau County line at 1-888-684-4274.  For medical emergencies ONLY, use 911.

 - Get your car off the road!  Park your cars in your driveway, if you can. (Via FFD member Robert Volpe).

 - Try to have cash available!  In the event that there is no electricity to run credit cards or operate ATMs, you'll want to have money around if you need to pay for anything.

Jesse Pohlman is the editor/producer/whatever of The Weekly Freeporter, which is in Retirement Mode and mainly only covers issues that effect all of Nassau County/Long Island.  If you're a science-fiction/fantasy fan, he also writes those kind of novels, available through Amazon.