Long Island Devastated by Nor'easter: Thousands of Trees Down, Businesses Shutter
A powerful and unusually prolonged nor'easter caused extensive damage across Long Island, leading to widespread flooding, downed trees, and power outages. Among the affected was Betty’s Burgers & Ice Cream Bar in Merrick, which announced its closure due to significant storm damage. Communities are now engaged in massive cleanup efforts while meteorologists link the storm's intensity and duration to a strong El Niño pattern.
Long Island experienced the severe and widespread impact of an unusually long-lasting nor'easter, resulting in extensive damage across the region. This significant weather event prompted widespread cleanup efforts and forced local businesses, including Betty’s Burgers & Ice Cream Bar in Merrick, to close due to direct storm-related damage.
For three consecutive days, the nor'easter lashed Long Island with pelting rain and high winds. Weather stations recorded gusts up to 81 mph at Montauk Point and 54 mph in Bayville, while Upton received more than 5.3 inches of rain. This created significant flooding, particularly severe in South Shore communities such as Babylon Village, where Mayor Mary Adams reported the presence of “flood tourists” driving through swamped streets. Roads in Lindenhurst, at times, were submerged under as much as 2.5 feet of water. North Hempstead's highly trafficked Shore Road, which connects the Port Washington peninsula, had to be closed twice due to flooding. Meteorologist John Cristantello noted that the most severely hit neighborhoods for flooding were on the South Shore of Nassau and western Suffolk counties, indicating broad opportunity for damage across the entire island due to the storm's prolonged nature.
Beyond water inundation, the storm caused substantial infrastructure damage. Thousands of trees were downed across towns like Huntington, Babylon, and Riverhead, often snarling power lines and contributing to over 128,000 power outages for PSEG Long Island customers. By Monday afternoon following the storm, Huntington town workers were still clearing 137 locations with downed trees or branches, while Babylon Town had responded to 125 tree-related issues. Riverhead’s highway superintendent estimated a two-week cleanup period for his town. The Jones Beach Theater suffered damage to its orchestra pit and concessions areas, and the Greek Festival on the Harbor at North Hempstead Beach Park was regrettably canceled. Islip also utilized a fleet of three tanker trucks and seven hydraulic “super pumpers” to combat severe flooding in its low-lying coastal communities.
The unusual prolonged nature of the nor'easter was attributed, in part, to a