How Tropical Storm Erin Could Impact Long Island: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — As Long Island readies for a weekend marked by sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s, Mother Nature might soon send a hint of hurricane season to put the damper on bucolic summer beach days.

According to Joe Pollina, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, the National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Erin, which could become the first Atlantic hurricane of the season.

Currently, Tropical Storm Erin is about 790 miles from the Northern Leeward Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, he said.

Tropical Storm Erin is expected to strengthen quickly this weekend, according to AccuWeather.com, potentially intensifying from a tropical storm to a major Category 3 hurricane or stronger within hours.

Once leaving the Caribbean, Erin could head toward the East Coast, although it's too soon to tell how severely that could impact Long Island, Pollina said.

However, he added, forecasters are warning of dangerous riptides across the region early next week due to Erin's wrath, including pounding surf.

"Powerful seas" are expected, AccuWeather.com added.

Protruding coastal areas, including Long Island, "face a higher risk of direct and potentially severe tropical storm or hurricane conditions than much of the southern Atlantic, mid-Atlantic and northern New England coasts," AccuWeather.com said.