Record high temperatures on Long Island Friday as heat and humidity continued

Friday marked the hottest June 12 on record on some parts of Long Island, with a high temperature of 94 degrees recorded at Islip, National Weather Service meteorologist David Stark told Newsday. But just like Thursday, a high heat index meant it felt even hotter.

But as the day waned, Long Islanders were finally clear of a heat advisory after the historically hot afternoon.

The advisory finally ended at 8 p.m., as did a severe thunderstorm watch previously in effect from 6 to 9 p.m., Stark said. Earlier Friday, he said conditions were "favorable" for thunderstorms to develop on Long Island like those that produced wind gusts as high as 66 mph that battered northern Suffolk areas, including Rocky Point and Wading River. The weather service also warned that storms could produce hail and localized flash flooding.

"The severe weather threat has really diminished. We did have some activity in part of Nassau County earlier, but it's really weakened. As the sun is going down this evening, there could be a brief shower or maybe a pop-up thunderstorm in the next few hours, but otherwise, the severe thunderstorm watch has been cancelled."

Highs reached the upper 90s across Long Island Friday afternoon, with humidity to blame for it feeling hotter, the service said. 

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality alert for Friday until 11 p.m. and recommended limiting strenuous outdoor activities, especially for vulnerable populations.

"People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, and those with preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease," the service said. "Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician."

Thursday's storms left Rocky Point resident Lori Hebert with a tree down on her Lexus SUV by her home on Zenith Road. Hebert, who has lived there since 2019, was working with neighbors with chainsaws to clear it.

She said she was used to sudden storms and fallen tree limbs in Rocky Point but has previously escaped major damage.

The tree shattered her windshield and crushed the hood of her car but only clipped the gutter of her house.

"It was sudden. I was going to go out and got a text to stay away from windows with 80 mph winds," Hebert said. "I heard a thunderclap and a really loud crash within minutes. I'm just glad it wasn’t worse and I wasn’t in the driveway."

Hebert said it was not as bad as the 2024 storm that left her without power for about a week.

She said she had recently had other trees removed from her property out of fear they might have toppled onto her house.

"I didn’t think about it. It just seemed so sudden and went away quickly, and then it was gone," Hebert said. "It’s Rocky Point so there are a lot of trees and when it’s windy, it's really windy up on the hills, so I'm used to hearing the wind rustle the branches."

With possible storms previously forecast for Friday, Hebert said she was hoping to avoid further damage. "I’m hoping it's the old saying, 'lightning only strikes once,' " Hebert she, although the tree was apparently felled by wind rather than by lightning.

Just after 6 p.m. on Thursday, wind gusts up to 66 mph hit central Suffolk County, causing "extensive damage"  from downed trees and wires to areas like Shoreham, Rocky Point, Wading River, Ridge, Middle Island, Manorville, Shirley-Mastic and Mastic Beach, service meteorologist James Connolly said. 

"PSEG Long Island is responding to severe thunderstorms that have caused power outages across our service area," a statement on the PSEG website said. "We understand how difficult it is to be without power, and our crews are working around the clock to restore service as safely and quickly as possible. Restoration efforts will continue until all customers have been restored."

A cold front moving in on Friday will break the humid conditions, the service said — but not the heat. 

Saturday and Sunday will see high temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s with mostly dry conditions.

Following showers late Sunday into early Monday, temperatures will drop significantly most of next week, with highs expected in the upper 70s to low 80s.