Jan. 12: Cancellations, Thunder and Lightning, Earthquake Anniversary

The North Fork is covered with a as of early Wednesday morning, and not much is happening in the region. But stay tuned to North Fork Patch for cancellation announcements, and look for a profile of a Greenport-based dealer of Haitian art today — the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

1. All North Fork school districts have cancelled school for Wednesday and other local establishments have already announced their closings. We will continue toas they come in. If you are closing your business or know of any event cancellation, please email us at erins@patch.com. Please also let us know of any power outages and inform the Long Island Power Authority at 1-800-490-0075.

2. Activities such as games, lectures and fitness classes at libraries are listed in our events directory for this afternoon and evening. We’ll keep you informed as the day goes on, but please check out the directory and call the venue before venturing out to yourtoday.

3. Reader commented on the site today that he witnessed lightning and a “low, rolling thunder at 3:17 a.m. in Orient Point … Heavy, wet snow and a moderate wind. Attempting photography.” Good luck Brian, and to anyone else out in the nasty weather today, please send your storm pictures to North Fork Patch editor Erin Schultz at erins@patch.com — because Erin’s going nowhere fast in this blizzard.

4. Once the winds die down, you might want to strap on the cross country skis or grab the kids and find a place to sled before an evening of hot cocoa and movies. Stay tuned for a guide of the best places to frolic in the snow on the North Fork.

5. Looking outside of our own little slice of the world, today is the one-year anniversary of the devastating Haitian earthquake that took the lives of hundreds of thousands and left millions homeless. One Greenport art gallery owner deals exclusively in Haitian art and says his heart still belongs to the country still in shambles. Stay tuned for the story on North Fork Patch.