Hurricane Erin downgraded to Category 3; Long Island to see high surf, rip currents
Hurricane Erin crosses the Atlantic Ocean as it moves west on Saturday in this NOAA image taken by the GOES satellite. Credit: NOAA via Getty Images
Forecasters on Sunday downgraded the Atlantic's first hurricane of the season as heavy rains and winds walloped the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Erin, after being upgraded to a Category 5 Saturday, has weakened considerably, forecasters said. For Long Island, Erin's main affects will be primarily felt at ocean beaches, according to a hazardous weather outlook posted on its website at 2 p.m. Sunday.
"Increasing swell from Hurricane Erin may reach the ocean beaches as early as Monday and linger through much of the rest of the week," the statement reads. "This should result in dangerous surf and rip currents by Tuesday, and possibly minor coastal flooding and beach erosion."
The storm, whose center is currently about 155 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was downgraded to a Category 4 Saturday evening and then to a Category 3 Sunday morning.
Despite losing some intensity, a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and heavy rain is expected across Puerto Rico, where nearly 160,000 customers are currently without power, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island.
Swells were also expected to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos Islands during the next couple of days, officials said. The government of the Bahamas also issued a tropical storm watch for the southeast portion of the island.
Locally, Erin is unlikely to have any major impact on Long Island, according to Weather Service meteorologist James Connolly.
"It's primarily going to be a coastal issue here, with rip currents and strong waves and high surf," Connolly said Sunday. " ... The storm has already produced a strong swell, and it's expected to re-intensify."
Erin is expected to track well off shore from Long Island as it moves north, Connolly said, although the storm could create potentially dangerous conditions on South Shore beaches with minor coastal flooding and beach erosion.
The National Hurricane Center notes that Category 3 hurricanes can produce sustained winds of 111-129 mph, powerful enough to damage homes, snap or uproot trees and cause major power outages.
While the edge of Hurricane Erin is still several hundred miles southeast of Long Island, forecasters said it is expected to come closest to Long Island on Wednesday.
On Saturday, the Weather Service said wave heights for Wednesday could be around 10 feet in ocean waters, from Fire Island to Moriches and Moriches to Montauk.
Those waves could cause some slight flooding, beach erosion and will make the surf on the South Shore dangerous for swimmers.
Connolly on Sunday said the Weather Service did not have any updates to those numbers.
With AP
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
