Long Beach prohibits swimming due to strong rip currents

Beaches closed to swimmers due to swells from Hurricane Cristobal

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For the second consecutive day, the city again prohibited swimming at its beaches on Thursday, saying that strong rip currents and heavy surf generated by Hurricane Cristobal have created dangerous conditions.

According to the city, Chief of Lifeguards Paul Gillespie said that swimming will be prohibited until further notice. However, like Wednesday, surfing is still permitted.

The city said that it will reevaluate ocean conditions this afternoon, and determine whether it will allow swimming depending on any improvements.

On its website, the city said, "The safety of our beachgoers always comes first.”

According to the National Weather Service, a high-surf and rip current advisory is in effect until Friday, with waves ranging from 5- to 10-feet across Long Island.

And Long Beach is not alone in its decision. Three state park beaches, including Jones Beach and Robert Moses, were also closed to swimmers on Thursday as a result of the swells created by Cristobal, a Category 1 storm and the third hurricane of the 2014 season.

According to the Associated Press, the storm is expected to move rapidly toward the north Atlantic, staying away from Bermuda and passing south of Nova Scotia.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Cristobal is centered about 285 miles northwest of Bermuda and is moving northeast near 29 mph.

The hurricane's maximum sustained winds, as of early Thursday, are near 75 mph, with no significant change in strength forecast over the next two days, according to the hurricane center.

Cristobal’s swells are affecting many parts of the East Coast, from North Carolina to Long Island, and causing life-threatening ocean conditions. According to the AP, the storm is already being blamed on least seven deaths, including those of two teens in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Ocean City, Maryland.