Mail delivery was slow on the North Fork on Monday afternoon as high winds continued to batter the area in the wake of a blizzard that hit on Sunday afternoon. Impassable roads and closure of New York City airports hindered service in the region.

Letter-sized mail did not arrive at post offices on the North Fork until after 2:30 p.m. or later on Monday, causing most post masters to postpone delivery until Tuesday.

"The mail usually comes in at 5:30 in the morning," said Mattituck Post Master Tom Carter. "We didn't get any mail today so we had nothing to deliver."

The Love Lane post office was open for business all day making it possible for box holders to collect their mail. Those expecting home delivery did not receive mail.

In Greenport, mailmen hit the streets on foot and in their familiar red, white and blue open-sided vehicles.

"The road conditions are not good and the sidewalks are not great either," Stephanie Beasely of the Greenport Post Office said. Beasely said she received her letter-sized mail at 3 p.m. "We are doing our best."

The Southold Post Office was open for business but was not delivering mail to rural patrons. Aquebogue Post Master Mark Linnen was trying to get his letter-size mail into boxes at the 212 Linda Lane Post Office on Monday afternoon where patrons have mailboxes. Linnen's office does not deliver mail to rural postal patrons.

"My mail just got here so I am scrambling," Linnen said, noting he too was a full day behind on his delivery schedule due to the storm.

 The Cutchogue Post Office did not receive first-class mail on Monday but was open for business for box holders and others to buy stamps or send out mail. Mail that arrived late on Monday afternoon was scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday.

"The big problem is the secondary and tertiary roads that have not been cleared yet," Ron Mirro, the U.S. Postal Service's operation's manager said from his office in Islandia. 

Mirro said the situation on the North Fork mirrored conditions across the region.

"All the post offices are doing the best they can. The situation is sporadic right now. No one is really in great shape.  All our retail operations are open.  Everything is behind schedule today but we should be back to normal by Tuesday," Mirro said, adding that all regular evening pickups were going to be made on Monday night.

Mirro lives in Wantaugh. He commutes to work in Islandia daily.

"It usually takes me 25 minutes to make a 30 mile drive," he said. "Today it took me an hour. I was really lucky. I got behind a snow plow on the parkway and followed it all the way. The roads are not good. The Sagitakos Parkway wasn't plowed.  It's still scary out there."

In Greenport, Beasely was substituting for chief postal officer Joseph O'Donnell, who was on vacation this week. She said she was thankful for small blessings — particularly the lack of any slip and fall injuries sustained by postal workers in Greenport.

"So far, so good," she said. "The mail is going out and no one is getting hurt."