Heavy rains and higher-than-usual tides forecast for Long Island over the next few days is expected to cause minor flooding, especially along the Atlantic Ocean-facing beaches on the South Shore, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory from 7 p.m. Tuesday through midnight when the new moon causes incoming tides to reach up to 1 ½ feet higher than usual for the western half of the Island. The agency also issued a flood watch for the storm that may bring 2-to-4 inches of rain from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.
“We will be the recipients of the remnants of the same system” that sparked deadly tornadoes across the nation, said Tim Morrin, an Upton-based NWS meteorologist. “All of that violent weather will not be in tact anymore when the system arrives.”
The system reportedly claimed 30 lives in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa as of Tuesday morning, with the death toll expected to continue rising.
Showers are expected as the system approaches New York, with the heaviest steady rains forecast for Wednesday afternoon into the evening. Since the slow-moving storm is heading eastbound, the flood watch starts at 2 p.m. in Nassau and 8 p.m. on the East End.
A flood watch means that those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action. Drivers should also anticipate flooded roadways. The extra-high tides, northeast winds and heavy rains could combine to make flooding worse in some areas, but the overall flooding is expected to be minor, Morrin said.
High tide Tuesday night arrives in Point Lookout at 8:34 p.m., Freeport at 9:31 p.m. and Lindenhurst at 11:14 p.m. Morrin said another coastal flood advisory is possible Wednesday. The agency also warned of minor beach erosion between Coney Island in Brooklyn and Smith Point on the easternmost tip of Fire Island.
The weather is also expected to be breezy with areas of patchy fog and temperatures in the 50s though Wednesday before hitting the mid-70s when the skies clear up Thursday and drop back to the 60s for a sunny Friday and Saturday.
Morrin noted that rainfall is slightly below average for the month of April, so the Island is not too saturated to absorb some of the coming rain.
