This Morning’s Bulletin — 12.17.20

Pictured above: Daybreak, New Suffolk

Good Morning!

• Rain has begun to wash away the snow across much of the East End, but here are some snow totals reported to the National Weather Service last night: Orient reported 6.5 inches at 11:18 p.m., Riverhead reported 3.8 inches at 10:14 p.m., Hampton Bays reported 2 inches at 7:43 p.m. and the National Weather Services headquarters in Upton reported 5.7 inches at 1 a.m.

• We’re expecting snow and sleet before noon today, then a slight chance of snow between noon and 3 p.m., with the temperature falling to around 30 by 5 p.m. and wind chill values between 20 and 25. The north wind, at 23 to 28 miles per hour now, will decrease to 17 to 22 miles per hour in the afternoon. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch are possible. It will be mostly cloudy overnight, with a low around 22. Friday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 35 and Saturday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 39.

• Suffolk County reported 1,056 new cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours ending Wednesday, with 8.2 percent of people tested testing positive. There are currently 506 people hospitalized with the coronavirus in the county, with 83 of them in ICU. The county reported seven new deaths from virus on Wednesday, bringing the death toll here to 2,139 people.

Inclement weather doesn’t stop school or government from working in the age of virtual meetings. Some local town boards meet remotely this morning:

• The Riverhead Town Board is slated to discuss recreation fees at its 10 a.m. work session this morning. Here’s the agenda.

• The East Hampton Town Board will hold several public hearings at its 11 a.m. meeting this morning, including ones on noise code changes, home improvement contractors’ licenses and on a grant of scenic and conservation easement. Here’s the agenda.

• All Southold Town facilities are closed due to the storm, Riverhead town offices open at 11:30 a.m., Riverhead Justice Court is cancelled for today, but Riverhead garbage collection is expected to proceed as scheduled.

• If you’re going stir crazy with a quarantine deepened by the weather, now might be your best chance to explore the possibility of breaking into a career in the arts. The Southampton Arts Center wants to show you how, in a special online presentation this evening at 7 p.m. Here are the details.

The high tides on the East End for the next two days are as follows:

December 17
Plum Gut Harbor: 11:30 a.m.
Montauk Harbor: 10:38 a.m., 11:09 p.m.
Greenport: 12:07 p.m.
Mattituck Inlet: 12:45 a.m., 1:02 p.m.
Sag Harbor: 12:02 p.m.
New Suffolk: 1:06 a.m., 1:29 p.m.
South Jamesport: 1:13 a.m., 1:36 p.m.
Shinn. Bay Entrance: 10:45 a.m., 11:19 p.m.
Shinn. Inlet: 8:54 a.m., 9:28 p.m.

December 18
Plum Gut Harbor: 12:01 a.m., 12:23 p.m.
Montauk Harbor: 11:31 a.m.
Greenport: 12:38 a.m., 1 p.m.
Mattituck Inlet: 1:36 a.m., 1:54 p.m.
Sag Harbor: 12:33 a.m., 12:55 p.m.
New Suffolk: 2 a.m., 2:22 p.m.
South Jamesport: 2:07 a.m., 2:29 p.m.
Shinn. Bay Entrance: 11:38 a.m.
Shinn. Inlet: 9:47 a.m., 10:24 p.m.

And that’s the way things look at dawn’s light here today.