Heat advisory issued for Long Island, region for Wednesday, Thursday
Traffic during a downpour on the Long Island Expressway near exit 60. Credit: Rick Kopstein
A heat advisory is in effect for Long Island from Wednesday morning through late Thursday evening, with daytime "real-feel" temperatures expected to hit triple digits in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday evenings is possible with for much of the region over the next several days as the hot and humid conditions continue.
A heat advisory is in effect for the entire region, with the exception of eastern Suffolk County, from 11 a.m. Wednesday through 10 p.m. on Thursday, the Weather Service said.
Heat index values will range from 95 to 100 degrees on Wednesday and between 100 and 104 degrees on Thursday, forecasters said.
"There is an increased risk of heat-related illness for vulnerable populations with this event," the weather service said in an advisory on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality health advisory for the New York City metro and Lower Hudson Valley regions for Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. The advisory does not include Long Island.
Friday's forecast calls showers and thunderstorms as well, before clearing up this weekend. The forecast is expected to be sunny on Saturday and mostly cloudy on Sunday — before the chance of rain showers resumes Sunday night into Monday.
On Tuesday, Long Island was breathing a sigh of relief after being spared much of Monday's deluge that paralyzed much of the region, including parts of New York City and elsewhere in the tristate.
The storm temporarily grounded airport traffic, flooded subway stations and made some roadways in the city, Westchester and New Jersey impassible for travel.
In a virtual briefing on Tuesday morning, New York City officials said the downpour came close to setting records, including at Central Park, which experienced the second-highest one-hour rainfall total ever documented at that location, according to Mayor Eric Adams.
Rohit T. Aggarwala, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection and the city’s chief climate officer, said the storm was the latest in worrying weather.
Five of the most intense rain storms the city has experienced have taken place in the last four years.
"Last night’s storm was a continuation of the pattern that we’ve seen over the last several years of the increased in frequency of these tropical style intense but short bursts of rain that we have been getting," he said.
He said the sewers, designed over the past centuries, weren’t made to handle the amount of water seen Monday night.
Newsday's Matthew Chayes contributed to this story.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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