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Surprise L.I. Snow Angers Residents, Snarls Monday Morning Commute

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A surprise snow blanketed parts of Long Island for the Monday morning commute.

As CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan reported, drivers in Islandia were negotiating through 3 inches of slush around lunchtime.

Around an inch of snow covered vehicles and stuck to roads during the Monday morning rush hour in Farmingdale. A dusting of snow also fell in Westchester County.

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The unexpected snow arrived wet and heavy before turning to ice, which impacted the commute along the Long Island Expressway.

Plows put away for the season were slow to help clear off the roads.

Residents said the snow seemed like Mother Nature pulled an April Fool's joke a day early.

"I woke up this morning, and I was really angry," Garden City resident Linda Lane told McLogan. "I was like, What's going on here? Why are we having snow? I want to be in Long Beach on the boardwalk."

"I got up this morning, I thought I was going to die," Mineola homeowner Wanda Ehleiter added.

Selden, Coram and Lake Grove, N.Y., all had 5 inches of snow Monday, CBS 2's John Elliott reported.

A CBS 2 crew driving toward Selden became entangled in a miles-long traffic jam, as cars spun and stalled on the slick highway.

Susan Ostrow, of Holbook, was trying to get to her job as a medical technician.

"My hazards stopped working," she said. "I was afraid I was going to get hi. I was stuck in the right-hand lane ... (for) about two hours."

Ambulances in Lake Grove had a difficult time getting to hospitals. Firefighters in Medford rushed to put out a car fire triggered when deicing solution shorted out the vehicle's eletrical system.

The good news: Temperatures approached 50 degrees later Monday and could hit 60 degrees Tuesday, and the mid to upper 5os degrees Wednesday.

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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