As Ian Batters South, LI Prepares For Heavy Rain, Wind

LONG ISLAND, NY — Hurricane Ian continued its swath of destruction Friday, gaining speed as it headed toward South Carolina after devastating parts of Florida, according to Accuweather.com.

With all eyes on the southern states, Long Islanders were told to be prepared — the region is set to be hit with heavy rain, gusty winds and possibly some flash flooding this weekend.

According to James Tomasini, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, rain is expected to start overnight Friday and continue throughout the day Saturday and into Sunday, with the higher chances of precipitation on Saturday.

Rainfall totals across Long Island for two days are expected to be between 2 to 3 inches, Tomasini said. While the rain is expected to be a "long duration" event, "localized flash flooding is not out of the question," he said.

In addition, winds are expected to pick up overnight on Friday night into Saturday morning on Long Island out of the east and northeast, gusting between 25 and 30 miles per hour, with a peak on Sunday of potentially 30 to 45 mile per hour winds, especially along the coast, Tomasini said.

Long Island residents are advised to "look out for flash flooding warnings and, if there are, avoid flood roads," Tomasini said.

Long Island's forecasted stormy conditions, however, are not related to Hurricane Ian, Tomasini said. Instead, the rain and high winds are the result of a high pressure buildup to the north and a low pressure system to the south that "create a tight pressure gradient between the two, giving us gusty northeast flow conditions," Tomasini said.

Hurricane Ian is still too far to the south to impact Long Island, and is expected to dissipate once it makes landfall, he said. However, early next week, the Long Island region could see some rain Monday and Tuesday, as a result, with the area expected to dry out by Wednesday afternoon, Tomasini said.

PSEG Long Island said the wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour could enough to possibly topple trees and bring down branches on wires.

“PSEG Long Island has been carefully tracking the remnants of Ian, and we encourage our customers to prepare,” said Mike Sullivan, vice president of transmission and distribution at PSEG Long Island. “As we watch the forecast, we have performed system and logistic checks, and have a full complement of personnel who can jump into storm mode if needed. In the event of any outages, our crews will work to safely restore service as quickly as conditions will allow.”

Customers are asked to note the important storm safety tips below, PSEG Long Island said.

Customer Safety:

• Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Please stay away from them, and do not drive over or stand near them. It is best to maintain a distance of at least 30 feet from a downed power line. To report a downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour electric service number at 800-490-0075 or call 911.
• Electric current passes easily through water. If you encounter a pool of standing water, stop, back up and choose another path.
• Never use a generator, pressure washer, or any gasoline-powered engine inside your home, basement, or garage or less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Use an extension cord that is more than 20 feet long to keep the generator at a safe distance.

Stay connected:

• Download the PSEG Long Island mobile app to report outages and receive information on restoration times, crew locations and more.
• Report an outage and receive status updates by texting OUT to PSEGLI (773454). You can also report your outage through the PSEG Long Island app, the website, or with your voice using the Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant app on a smartphone.
• To report an outage or downed wire, call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour electric eervice number at 800-490-0075.
• Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter to report an outage and for updates before, during and after the storm.
• Visit PSEG Long Island’s MyPower map for the latest in outage info, restoration times and crew locations across Long Island and the Rockaways here.