Long Island entered Saturday evening with coastal water already covering streets, rail service disrupted by flooding, and the strongest part of the nor’easter still capable of producing damaging wind and additional high-tide flooding through Sunday.
This is a nor’easter, not a tropical storm. Tropical Storms Fay and Gonzalo are far out in the Atlantic and are not the systems producing Long Island’s current conditions.
What Is Happening Now
At 4:23 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service continued coastal flood warnings for Long Island through 6 p.m. Sunday. NWS also upgraded Nassau and Suffolk counties to a High Wind Warning through noon Sunday, forecasting northeast winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 65 mph.
The warning is not limited to the immediate oceanfront. NWS said damaging wind could bring down trees and power lines, cause widespread outages and make travel difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.
The most severe coastal-flood forecast is for southern Nassau and southwest Suffolk, where NWS expects 2 to 2.5 feet of inundation above ground level in vulnerable waterfront areas, with localized levels near 3 feet during Saturday night and Sunday morning high tides. The agency warned that water in the most vulnerable places may not completely recede at low tide.
For southeast Suffolk, NWS expects 1.5 to 2 feet of inundation, locally 2.5 feet. It identified the north shore of the South Fork, the tidally affected Peconic River and the north shore of Fire Island as locations where wave action could worsen flooding.
Northern Nassau, northern Suffolk and northeast Suffolk remain under coastal flood warnings as well. NWS said the highest water levels in those zones are most likely around the Sunday midday high tide.
Flooding Has Suspended Long Beach Branch Service
The official MTA service feed reported that Long Beach Branch service is suspended because of flooding near Island Park.
The latest MTA travel alternatives are:
- Shuttle buses between Valley Stream and Long Beach.
- Babylon or Far Rockaway Branch trains for riders traveling to points east of Jamaica.
- NICE’s N15 bus between Long Beach and Rockville Centre, where riders can transfer to a westbound Babylon Branch train.
- LIRR tickets are being cross-honored on the specified NICE service.
The Port Jefferson Branch was also suspended earlier Saturday after a tree fell across the tracks east of Kings Park. Service later resumed after crews removed the tree, according to the MTA feed. That sequence shows the storm’s two distinct transportation threats: coastal water along the South Shore and wind damage across the island.
Riders should check current LIRR status immediately before leaving. Conditions and service alternatives can change faster than a static schedule.
Fire Island and Freeport: What Field Video Shows
Public video reviewed by Long Island Traffic adds a ground-level view to the official warnings.
Video posted from Fire Island, credited by Greater Long Island to George Ambrosini, shows floodwater covering a developed street as buildings rise directly from the water. Separate ABC7 footage shows storm-driven waves damaging a staircase leading to the beach on Fire Island.
In Freeport, 1010 WINS reported from the community as residents prepared for another combination of strong wind, a full-moon tide and coastal flooding. Other publicly posted video from Freeport shows vehicles and streets surrounded by water.
These videos are useful observations, not substitutes for an official closure list or a measured flood gauge. Long Island Traffic is using them to document visible conditions while relying on NWS, MTA and transportation-agency records for warnings, service changes and safety instructions.
Why Another High Tide Matters
This is a multi-cycle coastal-flood event. Persistent northeast wind has been pushing water toward Long Island’s shoreline and bays, while large ocean waves add erosion and overwash risk along the barrier beaches.
NWS forecasts breaking waves of 6 to 10 feet along the ocean shore. For the Atlantic Beach–Long Beach–Jones Beach barrier-island corridor, the agency warned that wave action may push flooding inland into places that do not normally flood. It also warned of dune erosion, beach flooding and localized overwash where dunes are already compromised.
The Long Island coastal-waters forecast keeps storm-force conditions over the ocean waters through Saturday night, followed by hazardous seas and continuing rain into Sunday and Monday.
Travel Guidance for Saturday Night and Sunday
- Do not drive through standing water or around barricades. Depth and pavement condition cannot be judged from the vehicle.
- Move vehicles away from low-lying waterfront streets before the next high tide if local officials say it is safe to do so.
- Avoid unnecessary travel during the strongest wind. Falling limbs and power lines may block roads with little warning.
- Treat every downed wire as live and report it to the utility or 911.
- Stay off ocean beaches and out of the surf. NWS warns of life-threatening rip currents and 6- to 10-foot breaking waves.
- Check the live Long Island incident map, LIRR status and official local alerts before each trip rather than relying on an earlier screenshot.
Sources and Method
This report combines primary National Weather Service alerts, marine forecasts and local storm reports, NOAA tide-gauge readings, PSEG Long Island outage data, the current official MTA service feed, and time-stamped field video from Fire Island and Freeport. Long Island Traffic independently compared the official warning zones with the transit disruptions and public observations. We will update this same page as official warnings, road impacts and rail conditions materially change.
If you have current flooding video or a road-closure photo from Nassau or Suffolk, send the original file, exact location and capture time through our contact page. Submissions will be verified before use.