With all eyes on the southern states, Long Islanders are told to be prepared — the region is set to be hit by heavy rain, gusty winds and possibly some flash flooding this weekend.
According to James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, rain is expected to begin Friday night and continue throughout the day Saturday and Sunday, with the highest chance of rain on Saturday.
Long Island's two-day rainfall total is expected to be between 2 and 3 inches, Tomasini said. While the rain is expected to be a “long-lasting” event, “localized flash flooding is not out of the question,” he said.
Additionally, winds are expected to increase overnight Friday night into Saturday morning on Long Island from the east and northeast, with gusts between 25 and 30 mph, with maximums Sunday of potentially 30 to 45 mph, especially along the coast, Tomasini said.
Long Islanders are advised to “heed flash flood warnings and, if available, avoid flooded roads,” Tomasini said.
However, Long Island's predicted stormy conditions are not related to Hurricane Ian, Tomasini said. Instead, the rain and strong winds are the result of a high-pressure buildup to the north and a low-pressure system to the south that “create a narrow pressure gradient between the two, giving us gusty northeasterly flow conditions,” Tomasini said.
Hurricane Ian is still too far south to affect Long Island and is expected to dissipate once it makes landfall, he said. However, early next week, the Long Island area could see some rain on Monday and Tuesday as a result, with the area expected to dry out by Wednesday afternoon, Tomasini said.
PSEG Long Island said wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour could be enough to possibly topple trees and drop branches onto power lines.
“PSEG Long Island is closely monitoring the remains of Ian and we encourage our customers to prepare,” said Mike Sullivan, vice president of transmission and distribution at PSEG Long Island. “As we monitor the forecast, we have conducted system and logistics checks and have a full staff that can go into storm mode if needed. In the event of an outage, our crews will work to safely restore service as quickly as possible under the circumstances.”
Customers are asked to note the important storm safety tips below, PSEG Long Island said.
Customer Security:
- Downed cables should always be considered “active”. Please stay away from them and do not drive over them or stand near them. It is best to keep a distance of at least 30 feet from a damaged power cord. To report a damaged wire, call PSEG Long Island's 24-hour electric service number at 800-490-0075 or call 911.
- Electricity passes easily through water. If you encounter a pool of standing water, stop, backtrack and choose another path.
- Never operate a generator, pressure washer, or gasoline engine inside your home, basement, or garage, or within 20 feet of any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord longer than 20 feet to keep the generator at a safe distance.
Stay connected:
- Download the PSEG Long Island mobile app to report outages and get information about restoration times, crew locations and more.
- Report an outage and receive status updates by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). You can also report your outage through the PSEG Long Island app, website, or with your voice using the Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant app on a smartphone.
- To report a broken or downed line, call PSEG Long Island's 24-hour power line at 800-490-0075.
- Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter to report an outage and for updates before, during and after the storm.
- Visit PSEG Long Island's MyPower map for the latest information on outages, restoration times and crew locations in Long Island and the Rockaways here.
