Sweltering Temps On Way; Air Quality Alert Issued For LI On Friday

LONG ISLAND, NY — Mother Nature blasted Long Island with a preview of swelteringly hot summer temperatures Thursday — and the weekend looks like more of the same, according to the National Weather Service.

Brian Ramsey, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Upton, said Thursday was a hot one, with temperatures ranging from the low 80s to the low 90s across Long Island — and the heat index making it feel closer to the mid-90s.

On Friday, temperatures are expected to reach the low 80s on the South Shore and central Long Island, and the mid-to-high 80s on the North Shore, with parts of northern Nassau reaching the low 90s; the heat index will make it feel more like the upper 80s to lower 90s across the board, he said. Friday also brings the chance of isolated thunderstorms.

Saturday's forecast mirrors Friday's, but on Sunday, the temperatures are expected to spike from the mid-80s to the low 90s, with the heat index making it feel like a steamy mid-to-upper 90s, Ramsey said.

Air quality is also a concern: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory for Friday for Long Island, with the pollutant of concern being ozone.

Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott advised that all residents, especially young children, seniors, those who exercise outdoors, and those with pre-existing respiratory or heart problems, limit strenuous outdoor activity. Ozone levels are often elevated after noon through early evening on hot, sunny days. If you experience eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath, chest pain, contact your medical provide, he said.

Ozone is the principal component of the mixture of air pollutants known as "smog" that is produced from the action of sunlight on air contaminants from automobile exhausts and other sources. Ozone levels are most likely to be elevated after noon through early evening on hot, sunny days, Pigott said.