Long Island weather: Rain possible Saturday; high rip current risk

Saturday on Long Island will be mostly dry and warm with temperatures in the upper 70s — but it will be partly cloudy and muggy with a high risk for rip currents caused by swells from distant Hurricane Jose, according to forecasters.

News 12 Long Island meteorologist Mike Rizzo warned, “Use caution if you’re taking any boats out.” He said that because of the rip current risk, swimmers should swim near a lifeguard.

The National Weather Service’s updated afternoon forecast included the possibility for isolated to scattered showers with a mix of sun and clouds.

The water temperature will be between 68 and 73 degrees and the UV index will be a high 7, Rizzo added. Ocean swells will be 3 to 5 feet.

Rizzo said the high Saturday in many areas will be 78 and the low at night will be 66. Overnight he said patchy fog will become dense and reduce visibility to a mile or less.

The warmest spots on the Island will include Glen Cove, Huntington, Islip, Stony Brook and Medford, all of which will see the temperature reach 79 degrees; it will be 78 in Hempstead, 76 in Babylon and Bridgehampton, 75 in Orient and 74 in Montauk.

The rip current risk continues into Sunday, when it will be mostly sunny and humid with a high of 77 and a low of 65 ahead of a muggy Monday, with sunshine followed by increasing clouds. A high of 75 is predicted for Monday and a low of 65.

Rizzo said that on Monday he will be watching for potential effects on the Island’s weather from Jose.

“There will be potential impacts in the form of clouds Monday and on Tuesday rain and gusty winds,” Rizzo said. He said the high Tuesday will be 74 and the low 64.

“Right now we’re not looking at a direct impact — so that’s good,” Rizzo said.

Pete Wichrowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Upton office, said the National Hurricane Center is updating Jose advisories every six hours.

“Right now no watches or warnings on land, but it’s being monitored,” he said.

Wichrowski said Jose is still a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 80 miles per hour moving northwest at around 9 miles per hour — “so it’s slow.”

The weather service’s Upton office issued a hazardous weather outlook with “a low chance for tropical storm force winds and heavy rain to develop Tuesday into Wednesday.”

That was as of Saturday morning’s update from the National Hurricane Center, which indicated that Jose’s center is expected to stay offshore for the next several days, passing “well east of the North Carolina coast early next week.”