Long Island weather: Showers, thunderstorms and rough surf
Visitors take advantage of Sunday's dry, warm weather too cool off at Hempstead Lake State Park, but showers and thunderstorms are expected to wash out Monday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Wet weather is forecast to hit Long Island for the beginning of the workweek, bringing strong gusty winds and rough surf to some areas, according to the National Weather Service.
"The rain is going to continue straight through the day Monday," said Brian Ciemnecki, a meteorologist with the weather service's Upton office.
"Some of the rain could be locally heavy," he added, with the potential for flash flooding.
Total rainfall will be less than an inch, though possibly higher in some areas, Ciemnecki said. The high Monday will top out at about 81 degrees, dipping into the 60s overnight.
Southerly winds could reach as high as 16 mph and bring high waves and strong rip currents to the ocean beaches, according to the weather service.
Forecasters advise anyone heading to the beach Monday to swim near lifeguards and heed warning flags. A high surf advisory and a rip current statement are in effect from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, the weather service said on its website.
A slow-moving frontal system, combined with a tropical air mass, is responsible for the rainy Long Island forecast. Northeastern New Jersey and Connecticut will get the worst of it. Forecasters warn that those areas could see isolated flash flooding through Monday night.
The rain arrives in the midst of a dry summer, despite a spate of showers and thunderstorms across Long Island in the past few weeks. Most of Nassau and Suffolk counties are experiencing a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The East End is in a severe drought.
The Suffolk County Water Authority lifted a Stage 1 water alert placed last month for customers in East Hampton, Shelter Island and Southampton, as the recent rains and reduced lawn watering helped restore water levels in tanks.
The alert remains in effect for Southold.
Dry weather returns Tuesday, with a mix of clouds and sun through Thursday. Highs will be around 80, with overnight lows in the low 70s.
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