Although it was always deemed remote, earlier this week the threat of Hurricane Lee making landfall was significant enough for New York State Governor Hochul to send 50 National Guard personnel to Long Island.
Nevertheless, the National Weather Service has now confirmed that the storm will not hit here.
“The track is still projected to go about 275 miles east of Montauk and will eventually end up in the Canadian Maritimes,” the National Weather Service (NWS) told the Press.
The NWS said that Friday and Saturday could both even be dry days for Long Island, if a bit breezy due to the offshore hurricane.
However, the NWS still warned about dangerous surf conditions and does not advise anyone to go swimming this weekend.
“We are hearing reports of, on the East End, six to 12 feet of surf right now,” the NWS said. “Plus dangerous rip currents. So, it’s very advisable to not go into the water. Other than that, there could be some minor coastal flooding and beach erosion on the East End.”
Despite the predicted miss, the Town of Southampton — located on the South Fork — declared a state of emergency related to the flooding and beach erosion that the storm could cause.
A coastal flood advisory is in effect from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday.
