Long Island weather: Damp, muggy week ahead as Chantal passes Long Island

The National Weather Service is calling for stormy conditions, on and off, for the entire week as the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal move through the region, bringing unsettled, muggy weather and tropical downpours in its wake.

An air quality alert was also issued for Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., due to an excess of ozone — the main component of smog. The Suffolk and New York State Health Departments urged seniors, young children and anyone with an underlying respiratory or cardiac condition to limit strenuous activity outdoors.

What was once Tropical Storm Chantal was expected to pass Long Island overnight Monday, with its effects being mostly felt in western Nassau. But stormy conditions will persist through the week in the region, the weather service said, and Tuesday also will bring high heat, close to 90 degrees and a heat index of 96 in some areas with the high humidity.

"The center of the remnants of what was TS Chantal are spinning over the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay early this afternoon, passing off the Delmarva this evening and skirting south of Long Island tonight," the weather service said in its Monday afternoon forecast.

"In the wake of the remnants of Chantal exiting out to sea, a cold front back to the west begins to approach through the day on Tuesday. Deep tropical moisture remains in place ahead of the front, and showers and thunderstorms look to develop once again into the afternoon hours as the boundary approaches. The main concern will once again be torrential downpours and localized flash flooding," the weather service said Monday evening, adding that dangerous rip currents were also expected.

Looking ahead to the week, the weather service said: "Each day will present a chance of showers and/or thunderstorms with the overall highest chances from roughly late Wednesday night through Thursday night." 

Chantal could bring 2 to 4 inches of rainfall in many areas, though amounts of up to 6 inches were possible as the storm goes through overnight into Tuesday, though that could be limited to Brooklyn, Queens and parts of Nassau County.

The weather service said strong winds are possible in some storm locations, though sustained, driving winds will remain west of Long Island.

Rainfall amounts could vary by locale, but the weather service said to expect a week of high humidity and daytime temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s early in the week, then dropping to the low 80s and high 70s. 

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”