Rip currents on Long Island's South Shore ease after Hurricane Erin's exit, but caution still urged

After seven days marked by high risk for life-threatening rip currents, the likelihood of dangerous surf in ocean waters off Long Island will wane on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Long Island’s South Shore beaches will be at moderate risk for rip currents Tuesday, meaning life-threatening surf conditions are still possible, according to the weather service. Swimmers are advised to check with lifeguards or beach authorities before entering the surf zone and to never swim at night.

“Be sure to swim within sight of a lifeguard,” said meteorologist James Tomasini with the weather service’s Upton office. “And don’t go out alone.”

As Hurricane Erin barreled through the Atlantic, Long Island’s southern beaches remained under a NWS high risk advisory for rip currents since last Tuesday, Newsday reported throughout the week. Under this advisory, Tomasini said the agency recommends beachgoers “stay out of the surf,” as rip currents are likely. Last week, the agency warned that even the strongest swimmers could be endangered if they entered such waters, and Suffolk ocean beaches were closed to swimming for several days.

Some Long Island beaches reopened to swimmers on Saturday and others on Sunday despite the weather service's projected high risk for rip currents. Swimming was allowed in waters off the Fire Island National Seashore on Saturday when Ishmoile Mohammed, a South Carolina man and Wyandanch Memorial High School graduate, was caught in a rip current and drowned, Newsday previously reported. It was not clear whether Mohammed was swimming in waters monitored by lifeguards.

While the weather service partners with municipalities in charge of local beaches, it does not have a say in whether beaches should close or reopen for swimming, Tomasini said.

“Even if they were to ask us, we can’t make that decision for them,” Tomasini added. “We just message to them what our forecast for the rip currents would be or what our forecast for the day is, and then they are the ones that make the decisions.”

While the Island remained under high risk for rip currents Monday, the waters off Jones Beach State Park, which reopened to swimming Sunday along with all other state park beaches, were “extremely calm” Monday afternoon, said George Gorman, regional director of state parks on Long Island. He said he has not been made aware of any rescues lifeguards had to make since beaches reopened.

Regardless of weather service advisories, Gorman said lifeguards at state beaches monitor for dangerous surf conditions “all day long” and will “react” if necessary.

“If there is something they are uncomfortable with, they will restrict or prohibit swimming,” Gorman said.

In addition to the decreased chance for dangerous surf, Long Islanders can expect several dry days this week with high temperatures in the upper 70s, “a couple degrees below normal” temperatures in the low 80s during the week before Labor Day weekend, Tomasini said.

The weather service forecasts a chance of showers and thunderstorms for Friday, the meteorologist added, but after a lingering chance for precipitation “earlier Saturday morning, maybe, for the East End,” the three-day weekend appears dry and temperate.