Thursday, October 1, 2026
Coastal high tides, downed trees and suspended train service were among the impacts of a weekend nor’easter that struck Long Island on Friday and continued through Sunday, with East Rockaway among Nassau County’s trouble spots for coastal flooding.
In East Rockaway, Mayor Gordon Fox and the Village Board made municipal parking fields available free of charge through Sunday for residents in flood-prone areas who wanted to move their vehicles to higher ground.
In Lynbrook, a large tree branch fell across Marshall Avenue at the intersection of Concord Street as heavy rain and strong winds swept through the village.
East Rockaway recorded a reported 1.69 inches of rainfall as of 3:12 p.m. Saturday, according to figures attributed to the National Weather Service office in Upton. Long Beach recorded a reported 2.27 inches during the same period.
The storm also disrupted train service for East Rockaway and Lynbrook commuters. Long Island Rail Road service on the Long Beach Branch was suspended through much of Sunday because of flooding near Island Park. Shuttle bus service was made available between Valley Stream and Long Beach. Passengers traveling to destinations east of Jamaica were advised to use the Babylon or Far Rockaway branches. Service was restored Sunday night after crews cleared the flooding.
A coastal flood warning, high surf advisory and high wind warning were issued for the South Shore of Nassau and Suffolk counties. Beach erosion occurred as well, officials said.
Up to 3 inches of rain accumulated across Long Island, which remained under a state of emergency declared by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said Saturday that forecasts had been accurate and that Nassau County had received 3 inches of rain, with the total expected to reach roughly 5 inches.
“It is not over,” Blakeman said Sunday. “While the wind is dying down and the rain will just be a trickle compared to what we’ve had the last couple of days, the ground is saturated with water. That means roots are loosened. It doesn’t take much for a tree, especially one full of leaves, to fall over.”
East Rockaway, Island Park, portions of Massapequa and Merrick, Oceanside and Long Beach remained trouble spots for coastal flooding.
By 9:15 p.m. Monday, PSEG Long Island had restored power to more than 99 percent of customers affected by the storm, with 676 of its 1.2 million customers across Long Island and the Rockaways without power. The utility said many of those outages were new Monday, and that any customers who remained without power because of the storm were expected to have service restored that night.
Since Friday morning, the multi-day storm caused more than 128,000 outages across PSEG Long Island’s service area. More than 2,000 fallen trees and branches affected electric service, according to the utility. Crews continued working 16-hour shifts Monday, with the utility expecting all remaining storm-related outages to be restored by the end of the night.
“We had flooding on the South Shore mainly south of Merrick Road,” Ferretti said, adding that “the water hasn’t receded as much as we thought it would.”
The town continued cleaning out storm drains, with Ferretti noting that floodwaters repeatedly carried leaves into the drains, clogging them.
“Please take the proper precautions and stay in,” he said, referring to the next several high tides.
Flooding affected roads, parking lots, parks, lawns and the basements of homes and businesses near the waterfront. Power outages were reported across Long Island, from the North and South shores to Montauk.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said Saturday that waves reaching 7 to 10 feet had caused substantial erosion from Fire Island to Montauk. Emergency medical service and fire calls were double those of an average day, he added.
“Dedicated county employees are working the phones, handling this and following this storm very carefully,” Romaine said.
The National Weather Service warned that life-threatening rip currents were likely for anyone entering the surf zone. Beachgoers were advised to stay out of the water, as rip currents can pull even experienced swimmers away from shore and into deeper water.
Residents who needed to travel were urged to allow extra time and prepare for possible road closures. Motorists were advised not to drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth.
“We continue to monitor this weather system and have performed system and logistic checks to ensure any customers who may be affected will have their power restored safely and as quickly as possible,” Michael Sullivan, vice president of electric operations at PSEG Long Island, said in a news release.
Residents can text 333-111 for real-time updates.
