Hurricane Lee threatens beaches with erosion and rip currents this weekend
LONG ISLAND - The beaches may be beautiful now but there’s a growing fear of erosion and rip currents come this weekend as Hurricane Lee works its way up the coast.
"Rip currents are an issue," Jones Beach lifeguard Captain Tammy McLoughlin said.
While Lee won’t be a direct hit, Governor Hochul announced the deployment of 50 soldiers from the New York National Guard to begin preparations on Long Island as south shore beaches including here at Jones Beach will bear the brunt of any residual effects.
Hurricane Lee churns through Atlantic as it heads north
Hurricane Lee is whirling north of Puerto Rico as a Category 3 storm, with forecasters noting it would remain in open waters through this week while on a path to Atlantic Canada.
Even though temps are expected to be warm, lifeguards are prepared to pull people out of the water altogether if rip currents pose a problem.
They’re predicting 8-10 foot swells and say the bigger the surf, the larger the rip current.
The goal is to open the water on Sunday, which is the last day lifeguards will be on for this season after the peak of the storm passes but experts say it all depends on how it tracks.
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The latest analysis shows Lee has sustained wind speeds of around 120 mph, making the storm a Category 3, as it slowly churns in the southwestern Atlantic ocean.
"If it tracks out farther east to the Atlantic, we’ll be great, and it’ll be nice to finish it out on a beautiful day," said Ed Costigan who is the Captain of Lifeguards at Jones Beach.
Hurricane Franklin’s wrath interrupted swimming just before Labor Day weekend. This go around strong swells, while enticing for surfers, could do the same.