As Major Hurricane Melissa Barrels Toward Jamaica, Forecasters Weigh Impacts To Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — As Hurricane Melissa churns in the Caribbean, the National Weather Service said Monday that Long Islanders are not likely to feel any major impacts from what could become the strongest storm ever recorded for Jamaica.

According John Cristantello, meteorologist for the NWS Office in Upton, the storm is expected to be "going way out to sea," with Long Island possibly experiencing just some swells along the coast later this week and into the weekend related to Melissa.

Long Island is, however, expecting rain at the end of the week, but that forecast is not related to Melissa, Cristantello said.

The rain will be sparked by a separate area of non-tropical low pressure passing the west later in the day Thursday and into Thursday night, he said. Long Islanders should expect rain Wednesday night, for "a good part" of Thursday and Thursday night; that rain will then likely taper off on Friday, with conditions improving as the day wears on.

A total of about 2 to 2.5 inches of rain is expected, a "decent rain," Cristantello said. "But the good news is, it's expected over a long period of time. We're not expecting flash flooding. This is a good, beneficial rain."

Winds are also expected, with the strongest period of winds expected Thursday at 20 to 25 miles per hour, and guests of about 30 to 35 miles per hour. "It's going to be a breezy day," Cristantello said.