Humid temperatures approach; Air Quality Warning issued for LI on Friday

According to the DEC, an air quality warning was also issued for Long Island on Friday.

June 20, 2024, 4:18 p.m. EDT | Updated June 20, 2024, 4:19 p.m. EDT

LONG ISLAND, NY — Mother Nature surprised Long Island with a preview of sweltering summer temperatures on Thursday — and the weekend is expected to continue, according to the National Weather Service.

Brian Ramsey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Upton, said it was a hot Thursday, with temperatures ranging from just above 80 to just under 90 degrees Fahrenheit across Long Island – and the heat index made temperatures seem more like just above 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Temperatures are expected to be just above 80 degrees on the south coast and central Long Island on Friday, between 80 and 85 degrees on the north coast, and just above 85 degrees in parts of northern Nassau. The heat index will make it feel more like just above 85 to just above 90 degrees overall, he said. There is also a chance of isolated thunderstorms on Friday.

The forecast for Saturday is the same as Friday, but on Sunday temperatures are expected to rise from about 80 degrees Fahrenheit to just over 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with temperatures feeling like muggy temperatures between about 95 and just under 95 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the heat index, Ramsey said.

Air quality is also a cause for concern: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a health warning for air quality on Long Island for Friday; the pollutant of concern is ozone.

Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County’s health officer, advised all residents, especially young children, seniors, people who exercise a lot outdoors and people with existing respiratory or heart problems, to limit strenuous outdoor activity. On hot, sunny days, ozone levels are often elevated after midday into the early evening. If you experience eye, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath or chest pain, contact your doctor, he said.

Ozone is the main component of a mixture of air pollutants known as “smog,” which is created by the action of sunlight on air pollutants from car exhaust and other sources. On hot, sunny days, ozone levels are most likely to be elevated after midday into the early evening, Pigott said.