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Long Island Bracing For Heavy Snow As Weather Shifts From Spring To Winter

CARLE PLACE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Preparations were under way on Long Island Wednesday, as a major snowstorm was set to swoop in and blizzard conditions were expected for some areas.

A winter storm warning is in effect from midnight until 6 p.m. Thursday for New York City, Nassau County, southern Connecticut, the lower Hudson Valley and northeastern New Jersey. But in Suffolk County, a blizzard warning has been issued.

A blizzard by definition must last three hours, and must involve wind gusts of 35 mph or more, blowing snow, and visibility of .25 mile or less.

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The heavy snow will slow traffic during the morning drive Thursday and threaten power lines.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, parking lots in Merrick were jammed late Wednesday afternoon as residents raced to stock up. Some were worried about the electricity going out.

PSEG Long Island tested power poles after trimming trees, saying they were all ready with all hands on deck.

"Flashlights -- very important to have flashlight just in case; batteries, yes," said Dolores Sterling of Floral Park.

Sawyer Holin, 3, was set up with cookies ahead of the snow day. But he said he expected he would have to go to preschool anyway.

But town leaders on Long Island anticipated that schools would not open Thursday, and were warning commuters to stay home if they could so plows could do their jobs.

"Even if you don't have kids – if you can, stay home, don't risk it," said Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony Santino. "It's going to be wet, heavy snow. It's going to be slippery conditions. It's going to be dangerous."

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said the county's Department of Public Works has started pretreating roadways with brine to prevent black ice from forming.

"DPW is at the ready to plow and salt county roadways," Mangano said in a statement. "Our Office of Emergency Management is closely monitoring the storm and has put assets in place to assist residents should the need arise."

Crews late Wednesday were filling spray trucks with the town's new ice melting solution of saltwater and beet juice to pre-treat roads.

"Getting my snowblower ready -- I'll tell you that right now," said Jack Arrington, a homeowner from Merrick. "Go home, turn that baby around so it's ready."

Meanwhile, Suffolk County police are set to deploy several Humvees in case anyone needs to be rescued.

Ahead of the snowstorm, hardware stores in the area were running out of stock – with scrapers, shovels and ice melt flying off the shelves.

There will be clearing later Thursday but it will be very cold with lows in the teens Thursday night.

(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 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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