A pedestrian walks across a wet third Avenue as rain falls in New York Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The rainy, rough weather continues for Long Island, and meteorologists say it will likely last until the end of the week.
The National Weather Service has issued a rip current risk that will remain in effect until 9 p.m. Wednesday night and a high surf advisory that will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Wednesday for all Atlantic Ocean facing beaches in both Nassau and Suffolk.
Forecasters said that the surf height could be as high as 7 to 9 feet, with the highest on the East End. They also said that, like the rain, the risk for high surf will likely continue through the end of the week. There is also a chance of localized beach erosion.
The rough surf and dangerous rip currents are effects from Hurricane Katia. Katia is not forecasted to come ashore anywhere on the East Coast, and has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph as of Wednesday afternoon. It’s expected to remain at this strength.
Officials advised swimmers to be cautious in the water and to listen to advice from lifeguards. They said that if you become caught in a rip current, the best thing to do is to remain calm and begin to swim parallel to the shore. Once you are away from the force of the rip current you can begin to swim back to the beach. Do not attempt to swim directly against the rip current.
Both Nassau and Suffolk were under a flash flood watch on Tuesday. The NWS reported 1.88 inches of precipitation in Centerport, .78 inches in Farmingdale and .72 inches in Shirley.
Meteorologists are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Maria, the 13th named storm of the 2011 hurricane season. As of Wednesday afternoon Maria’s maximum sustained winds were at 50 mph. Some slight strengthening is possible during the next 48 hours, but it is too soon to determine whether or not Maria will be a threat to any land.
