Winter Weather Awareness Week: What Long Island Homeowners Need to Know About Masonry Before the Freeze
Winter Weather Awareness Week runs October 25 through October 31, 2026, and the National Weather Service, together with the New York State Office of Emergency Management, is urging every New Yorker to get ready for winter before the first storm hits. For Long Island homeowners with stone patios, brick walls, retaining walls and chimneys, that warning hits close to home: the freeze and thaw of a Long Island winter is one of the hardest things masonry can face.
What happened
The National Weather Service and the New York State Office of Emergency Management are promoting winter safety to all New Yorkers during Winter Weather Awareness Week, October 25 through October 31. Each day of the week spotlights a different winter hazard, from heavy snow and snow squalls to ice storms and flooding. The NWS notes that New York experiences some of the highest frequencies of freezing rain nationwide, and that heavy accumulations of ice can bring down trees and power lines and disrupt power and communications for days or even weeks.
What it means for Long Island homeowners
When water gets into small cracks in stone, brick or concrete and then freezes, it expands and pushes the material apart. Thawing lets more water in, and the next freeze cracks it wider. Over one winter that cycle can turn a hairline crack in a patio, a retaining wall, or a chimney crown into a gap that lets water reach the structure underneath. Ice dams, freezing rain and the weight of snow all add pressure too. A chimney that looks fine in October can be leaking by March, and a retaining wall that holds today can bow or shift after a freeze-thaw season. Catching these issues now means a small repair in the fall instead of a rebuild in the spring.
On Long Island, salt air, coastal moisture and repeated freeze-thaw make early winter care especially important for stonework. The NWS notes that New York sees some of the highest frequencies of freezing rain nationwide, and that stove pipes, flues and chimneys should be inspected and cleaned before the heating season. A hairline crack caught in October is a minor repair; the same crack in March can mean water inside the wall and a much bigger job by spring.
What to do now
- Walk your property and look for cracked or crumbling mortar, loose or shifted stones, and gaps where driveway or patio pavers meet the house.
- Check your chimney for white staining, loose bricks, or a damaged crown, and have stove pipes, flues and chimneys inspected and cleaned before you light the first fire.
- Clear debris and standing water off stone and paver surfaces so water can’t pool and freeze against the masonry.
- Make sure downspouts direct water away from retaining walls and foundation stonework.
- Call a mason to evaluate anything you’re unsure about before the ground freezes.
- Winter Weather Awareness Week, KFYR-TV, October 25, 2026
These steps line up with the NWS’s own advice: if you have a fireplace or wood stove, make sure it is in good condition, and stove pipes, flues and chimneys should be inspected and cleaned. A quick inspection now can save you from a much bigger repair bill after the thaw.
A fall walk-through is the cheapest insurance a Long Island homeowner can buy. Spotting loose mortar or a shifting retaining wall now means a single day of masonry repair instead of a full rebuild after the thaw. That is the difference between a small bill and a large one.
Get your Long Island masonry ready for winter
A fall inspection is the best way to find small cracks before winter turns them into big ones. Long Island Stone and Masonry helps homeowners across Nassau and Suffolk with masonry repair, brick chimney repair, stone patio installation, retaining walls and more. If you’d like us to take a look at your stonework before the freeze sets in, call (516) 210-4294 or visit our contact page to schedule a visit.
Sources
- Winter Weather Awareness Week: Oct 25-Oct 31, 2026, National Weather Service, October 18, 2026
- Winter Weather Awareness Week, KFYR-TV, October 25, 2026
