Rain expected Wednesday night; could ease threat of wildfires

The last time Long Island received half an inch of rain was in August.

Then, a storm carrying a whopping 9 inches of rain caused severe damage to some of the North Shore’s infrastructure, parks and homes.

After three months of severe dry weather and now drought condition, rain that is forecast this week could put an end to a cycle of some of the driest months on record, significant brush fires, and red flag warnings.

Or, the rain may not be enough, experts said.

The National Weather Service said that Long Island will receive about three quarters of an inch of rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and that some rain may linger into Friday.

"We'll have to wait to see if that's the start of something new, or if we're going to continue to be dry as we go until late November, until December," said Bill Goodman, a meteorologist with the weather service in Upton.

The only rain that has fallen on Long Island this month was the evening of Nov. 10, when it received 0.23 inches of rain, Goodman said.

September and October were Long Island's driest months on record, forecasters said.

If Wednesday night’s showers don't materialize, November is on pace to set a record, as well.

"The month may still end up being below normal rainfall wise, but I don't think it would be any in any record territory," he said.

The service issued a special weather statement for Monday, waning residents of an elevated risk of wildfire spread.

This differs from the red flag warnings issued over the weekend because relative humidity has increased from 25 on Saturday and Sunday to between 35 and 45 on Monday.

A brush fire broke out in Old Westbury Monday morning sometime after 7 a.m. but was quickly put out, authorities said.

The weekend’s strong winds gusts of 20 to 30 mph have also eased up, Goodman said.

"Some of the ingredients are there, but they're not like they were on Saturday," he said. "The risk is elevated, but it’s not over the top."

Temperatures are expected to dip beginning Thursday and into the weekend, with highs of mid 50s on Thursday and then high 40s or low 50s on Friday.

Monday will reach highs of low to mid 60s on Monday, and the above average conditions will carry into the low 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Many officials have sought action to combat recent brushfires.

Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statewide burn ban until Nov. 30.

The FDNY created its first Brush Fire Task Force, composed of fire marshals, fire inspectors and tactical drones, after the city experienced 271 fires since Nov. 1 — the most over a two-week period in alone history.

On Saturday evening, several hundred residents in Orange County, New York, were asked to evacuate as a weeklong fire jumped a containment line, according to The Associated Press.