'Significant' Storm On LI To Bring Heavy Rain, Wind Friday Night: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island is preparing for "significant" storm to sock the area with heavy rain and wind Friday night into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

According to John Cristantello, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office at Upton, the rain could begin Friday night as early as 6 or 7 p.m.; by midnight, most of Long Island will be seeing rain, he said.

The "rain event", with a possible "rumble of thunder," is expected to begin to clear out of the area, leaving Long Island dry by daybreak, with the tail end possibly lingering on in the East End area through noontime, he said.

About 1 to 2 inches of rain are expected, with sustained winds at 25 to 35 miles per hour and gusts of 45 to 50 miles per hour at the storm's peak Friday night, Cristantello said.

Minor urban flooding is expected in urban and poor drainage areas; flash flooding is not expected to be an issue on Long Island, he said.

"The biggest story will be the coastal flooding, especially along the South Shore and back bays," where moderate, to, at points, major coastal flooding are expected, he said. Waves are expected to break in the range of around 15 feet, with tides pushing in and causing widespread dune erosion and scattered overwashes, as well as dune breaches, especially in the areas already affected by the week's past storms.

Temperatures are expected to be in the middle to high 40s Friday, in the lower 40s Friday night, and up to the middle 50s on Saturday, he said.

The system is expected to produce 1 to 2 inches of rain total across the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, Gov. Kathy Hochul said. Hochul added that there is a slight risk of flash flooding in some areas, while moderate coastal flooding expected along the south shores of New York City and the south and easternmost shores of Long Island.

Beach erosion could be an issue along the Orient Point shoreline, Hochul added.