NYC beaches close due to rip currents from Hurricane Ernesto

(NEW YORK) — Several New York City beaches will remain closed for the weekend due to strong rip currents from Hurricane Ernesto.

The Category 1 storm made landfall in Bermuda early Saturday, hovering slowly over the island throughout the day with hurricane-force winds and heavy rain. Although hundreds of miles offshore, the system is generating rip currents on the East Coast of the U.S., prompting the National Weather Service to issue alerts for high surf and riptides along much of the Atlantic coastline.

Waves in the Northeast have the potential of reaching up to 9 and 10 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

In New York City, beaches in Brooklyn, including Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach as well as the Rockaway and Riis beaches in Queens will be closed on Saturday and Sunday, the NYC Parks and the National Park Service announced at the start of the weekend. Swimming and wading are not permitted during the closure due to possibly life-threatening conditions from the rip currents.

“Our primary focus is keeping New Yorkers safe, so as the impacts of Tropical Storm Ernesto approach New York City, we are closing our ocean-facing beaches in Queens and Brooklyn this weekend to protect New Yorkers from dangerous rip currents,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement on Friday.

Video taken by ABC New York station WABC showed workers on Coney Island preparing the beach for the onslaught of powerful waves by reinforcing mounds of sand to protect from erosion.

On Long Island, berms were built to protect the delicate shoreline, which has suffered from beach erosion in recent years, WABC reported. One of the biggest concerns there is sea water coming in from the beachfront and flowing into low-lying regions, Jones Beach State Park Director Jeffrey Mason told WABC.

Beaches on Long Island were not closed for swimming, but beachgoers were advised by officials to use caution.

Ernesto will continue moving north and northeast and is expected to move off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada on Monday night as a weakening hurricane.

More storms are expected in the coming weeks, as September is typically the peak of the hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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