Flood advisory extended as storms threaten East End with more rain

Mother Nature isn’t done with the East End just yet.

A flood advisory is in effect until late Monday night as torrential storms are expected to pelt the region with up to four inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

The advisory, released Sunday, comes as PSEG Long Island crews continue restoring power from Saturday night’s severe thunderstorms, which brought wind gusts as high as 84 mph, hail and heavy rain.

Baiting Hollow and Wading River were among the hardest-hit hamlets, with several downed trees snagging power lines. In Riverhead, police vehicles were stationed at the intersection of Ostrander Avenue and County Road 58 on Monday morning because the traffic light was not working.

A PSEG map Monday showed scattered outages from Laurel to Wading River.

Crews had restored power to more than 34,800 customers since Saturday night’s storms, with 4,170 customers still affected across Long Island and the Rockaways as of 9 a.m., according to PSEG officials. Tree crews have handled nearly 400 downed trees and more than 320 fallen limbs

The utility said more than 91% of affected customers had been restored and that most remaining customers are expected to have power back by tonight.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue into Monday night, with rainfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour possible.

Flooding remains a risk in urban areas, along rivers, creeks and streams, and in other low-lying and flood-prone locations, Riverhead police said.

PSEG warned residents to stay away from downed wires, avoid standing water and keep generators at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents.

In an emergency, call 911. For non-emergencies, contact Riverhead Town Police at 631-727-4500. To report an outage or downed wire, call PSEG Long Island at 800-490-0075.