Metro

NYC beaches closed as Hurricane Ernesto sends huge waves, deadly riptides up coast

By
Deirdre Bardolf
Published Aug. 17, 2024, 11:16 a.m. ET

Beaches across Brooklyn and Queens have been closed all weekend as Hurricane Ernesto threatens deadly riptides and massive swells — and possible flash-flooding with up to two inches of rain Sunday.

City beaches in the two boroughs — along with the National Park Service’s Jacob Riis Beach in the Rockaways — were closed to swimmers over fears of six-foot swells and “life-threatening rip currents,” City Hall announced late Friday.

“Our primary focus is keeping New Yorkers safe,” Mayor Adams said.

A red flag on a yellow box at the Beach in Far Rockaway around Beach 29th Street, NY on August 28, 2020.
NYC Parks and the National Park Service announced that all beaches in Brooklyn and Queens as well as Jacob Riis Beach will be closed to swimming Saturday and Sunday due to the dangerous effects of Tropical Storm Ernesto. Dennis A. Clark

“New Yorkers should know the ocean is more powerful than you are, particularly this weekend.”

Lifeguards and parks officials will patrol to enforce the ban at the beaches, which all face the ocean.

“We strongly urge all New Yorkers not to risk their lives by ignoring this directive,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue.

Ernesto rocked Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph early Saturday and is forecast to travel northeast.

Although it will be 500 miles offshore the coast, it is still expected to still batter the region with powerful winds, towering waves and life-threatening rip currents.

The NYC area is expected to get hit with up to two inches of heavy rain Sunday, Fox Weather meteorologist Cody Braud told The Post, with possible flash flooding from Sunday afternoon.

Danger signs on boardwalk in Far Rockaway saying strong currents contributed to drownings and lifeguards on duty.
Lifeguards and Parks enforcement will be patrolling to make sure people don’t enter the water Saturday and Sunday, officials said.
Satellite image of Hurricane Ernesto on track towards Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph as of August 15, 2024
Ernesto made landfall in Bermuda on Saturday and is expected to bring rough surf and dangerous rip currents to the East Coast this weekend Provided by National Hurricane Center / USA TODAY NETWORK

Swells are expected to reach 6 feet in NYC and 9 feet on Long Island, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts are forecast to reach 16 mph in the Big Apple.

The dangerous currents occur as increasing waves carry more water to the shore than can escape before the next wave arrives. The water then returns to the deeper areas through narrow channels, creating rip currents.

Swimmers stuck in one should not fight it but either swim parallel to the shore or float until it subsides to avoid exhaustion, experts told AcuWeather.

Tropical Storm Ernesto hitting Humacao, Puerto Rico with high winds and storm surge, causing waves to crash on a pier on August 14, 2024.
High winds, rain and storm surges from Tropical Storm Ernesto rocked Puerto Rico on August 14. AFP via Getty Images
Riptides and waves crashing against the South Shore of Bermuda as winds from Hurricane Ernesto approach on August 16, 2024
The eye of Hurricane Ernesto passed directly over Bermuda Friday into Saturday. REUTERS

Rip current warnings are also in effect along the Jersey Shore this weekend, where 30-mph winds are possible.

Ernesto is the third hurricane and the fifth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which has been particularly “hyperactive” so far, said Braud, the Fox Weather meteorologist.

There should be a lull until the end of August when the most active portion of the season is expected to pick up, he said. 

“Between August 20 and October 10 is when we see, historically, two thirds of all hurricane activity,” Braud noted.

The rain will fizzle out early Monday, paving the way for a cool week in the high 70s and low 80s, giving the Northeast a “taste of early fall,” Braud said