Thursday's powerful autumn snowstorm caught Long Islanders off guard and left them to deal with the aftermath on Friday.

"I heard the crack, and I was like, ‘Oh my God,’" says Dave Cordes, of Huntington, referring to a sound he won't soon forget. Three large tree branches came tumbling down during the storm -- the massive limbs knocking out power and one of them landing square on top of his wife's car.

All over the Island, commuters shared their horror stories from the storm. Drivers witnessed spinouts and other collisions, slowly crept along snow-packed roads or sat in gridlock -- greatly increasing their normal commute time. One woman says she had to leave her car behind until conditions improved.

Initial forecasts had predicted far less snow.

"We typically don't get major storms in November, and when you're looking at the different parameters, usually the warm ocean waters win out over the cold air," says News 12's Rich Hoffman. "This time around the cold air won."

The Department of Transportation says it had 250 plows out during the storm, spreading 4,000 tons of salt.

Police reported 450 car crashes -- 260 in Suffolk and 190 in Nassau.