Thursday, October 1, 2026
The National Weather Service has officially issued an extreme heat warning for nearly all of Long Island, lasting through 9 p.m. Saturday.
The upcoming forecast anticipates Thursday, Friday and Saturday temperatures soaring past 90.
Three consecutive days with temperatures reaching above 90 degrees is the standard criteria for a heat wave. The heat index, or "feels like" temperature, is expected to approach 110 degrees on Thursday.
In advance of the potentially dangerous weather, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and town supervisors around Long Island are implementing steps to help residents stay cool and safe.
Blakeman announced the opening of four cooling centers across Nassau: Cantiague Park in Hicksville, Mitchel Field Athletic Complex in Uniondale and Wantagh Park in Wantagh will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. the former Nassau County family courthouse in Westbury will be open 24 hours a day.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor John Ferretti held a news conference Tuesday afternoon to announce similar local plans for town residents. "Cooling centers will be available at the Elmont, Levittown, and Wantagh senior centers from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Thursday and Friday of this week," Ferretti said.
"These facilities are open to any residents who need a cool, air-conditioned cruise to escape from the heat," he continued. "Hours of operation at town beaches and pools will be extended from Thursday through Saturday. Beaches will be open until 7 p.m. and pools will be open until 8 p.m."
Town of Oyster Bay residents can visit cooling centers at the Town Ice Skating Center in Bethpage, and the Town Athletic Center in Hicksville until 11 p.m. All five town pools — Bethpage Community Park, Marjorie Post Community Park in Massapequa, Plainview-Old Bethpage Community Park, Syosset-Woodbury Community Park, and Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing — will also offer extended hours. The Tobay Beach Spray Park will also be open until 6 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday
According to the National Weather Service, extreme heat events are responsible for more deaths than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, lightning and floods combined.
At a Tuesday morning news conference in Long Beach, representatives from Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital spoke about the preliminary signs of heat exhaustion and and the serious danger of heat stroke.
Dr. David Neubert, an emergency medicine physician and the director of prehospital medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau, said monitoring for signs of dehydration is a crucial first step. "If you start to feel nauseous, feel clammy, or feel dizzy," Neubert explained, "Any of those symptoms, you need to get yourself out of the sun, get yourself somewhere cool and hydrate."
Neubert continued with advice regarding the more immediate, potentially deadly threat of heat stroke. "With chest pains, shortness of breath, or if they have a mental status change — they're not acting normal or they're not making sense — that's very important to call 911, call a lifeguard, get them to a hospital because that can be signs of heat stroke. A true emergency that's life-threatening."
PSEG Long Island has announced that they are prepared for a spike in electric demand during the significant heat. PSEG Long Island’s Vice President of Electric Operations Michael Sullivan wrote in a news release, "We have been upgrading equipment, carefully planning to provide sufficient electric capacity to meet peak demand, and positioning our personnel to respond effectively if needed.”
