New Tropical Storm On Horizon Poses No Risk; High-Risk Rip Currents Still A Concern On LI: NWS

LONG ISLAND, NY — Just days after Hurricane Erin's impacts were felt across Long Island, a new storm is on the horizon, according to the National Weather Service.

But, according to the NWS, the tropical storm, named Fernand, currently located about 400 miles east of Bermuda, will pose no threat to Long Islanders.

"It's weak and will stay well out at sea," said Bill Goodman, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Upton.

Instead, Goodman said, Hurricane Erin's impact still poses a risk, especially due to "swells left over" from that storm. A high risk of rip currents at Atlantic Ocean beaches, with waves of up to 4-feet, exists through Monday, the NWS said.

"The big swells from the hurricane, even if waves are only 3-feet, can be very energetic," Goodman said. "If they're coming from a long distance, it carries more of a punch than a wind wave at the beach."

On Saturday, a swimmer drowned after being caught in a rip current off Fire Island, soon after area beaches had reopened after Hurricane Erin, officials said.

Looking at the Long Island weather for the week ahead, Goodman said the forecast is for mostly dry skies, with a 30 percent chance of a thunderstorm Friday. Temperatures this week will be cooler, beginning on Wednesday, with highs only reaching the 70s, he said.