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GLI meteorologist Sam Augeri warns the Full Harvest Moon could make Sunday’s high tide the most dangerous yet
Water flooded the boardwalks of Fire Island and poured into streets in Freeport, Island Park, Long Beach and other South Shore communities. Downed trees blocked roads from Uniondale to Mount Sinai. Thousands of Long Islanders lost power.
The nor’easter hammered Long Island on Saturday. The worst flooding hit during the morning high tide, and in low-lying South Shore neighborhoods the water came up fast. On East Pine Street in Long Beach, it rose nearly a foot and spilled over the curbs, according to ABC7.
Yet many Long Islanders found windows of opportunity to go about their Saturday. They hit the grocery store, walked the dog and packed the bar for college football.
The storm came in bursts, and long calm, dry stretches between the downpours and hard gusts gave many people a false sense that it had blown over.
It hasn’t. Officials and forecasters warn the most dangerous stretch may still be ahead.
‘Take this storm seriously’
GLI meteorologist Sam Augeri said the coastal flood threat continues through Sunday’s high tide, with the Full Harvest Moon pushing tides above normal. She said winds of 20 to 40 mph — gusting to over 50 mph in some areas — will persist through much of Sunday.
The next round of heavier rain arrives Saturday night, Augeri said, with on-and-off showers for much of Sunday. Monday stays unsettled, and conditions won’t improve until Tuesday.
STORM UPDATE: Here’s everything to know about the nor’easter. 🌦️ pic.twitter.com/WvXrdoJdAy
— Greater Long Island (@Greater_LI) September 26, 2026
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning Saturday afternoon that will remain in effect until noon on Sunday. Consistent winds of 25 mph to 35 mph and gusts up to 65 mph are expected from Connecticut through Nassau and Suffolk counties, according to the alert.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Nassau and Suffolk on Friday.
“Take this storm seriously,” she said. “Stay alert, and avoid unnecessary travel.”
Flooding, downed trees and a crippled rail line
Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti said crews cleared 19 downed trees overnight as bands of driving rain and gusts up to 45 mph moved through.
Floodwater near Island Park forced the LIRR to suspend Long Beach branch service between Valley Stream and Long Beach late Saturday morning. Earlier, a tree fell across the tracks east of Kings Park and halted Port Jefferson branch service between Huntington and Port Jefferson.
Power outages
More than 17,000 PSEG Long Island customers were in the dark shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday, with Huntington Town and the South Shore in western Suffolk hit hardest. The utility said it had restored power to more than 23,000 customers since Friday morning and warned more outages are coming.
By midday on Saturday, more than 13,000 customers were still affected by nearly 800 outages.
The wind itself could slow repairs. PSEG officials note that workers cannot work safely with winds over 40 mph.
Outages and downed wires should be reported by calling 1.800.490.0075.
County executives‘ updates
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said 7- to 10-foot waves have caused substantial erosion from Fire Island to Montauk. EMS and fire calls are running double a normal day, he said.
Romaine’s advice has been blunt: “If you don’t have to go out during the heavy rainfall, don’t go out. If your street floods, don’t drive through flooded areas.”
Meanwhile, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman warned that the storm would be “more impactful than previously thought.”
Neither county expects voluntary or mandatory evacuations. If Nassau does call one, residents should head to Nassau Community College.
‘We just wanted to check out the big waves’
Some people went out just to see what the storm had churned up.
At Miller Place Landing Beach on Saturday afternoon, 7-year-old Leo Agathos stood with his dad George watching whitecaps pound a shoreline that usually sits fairly still.
“We just wanted to check out the big waves,” said Leo, a second-grader. “It’s normally like calm.”
The water had swallowed the beach where the family usually walks. Leo spotted debris tossing in the surf. “There’s a lot of, like, garbage,” he said. “I saw a rubber ducky.”
George Agathos said he brought his son down to show him how high the tide had climbed with the storm. He kept a respectful distance.
Long Islanders do their best to deal with circumstances
Top: Miller Place’s Landing Beach (Brian Harmon/GLI).
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