NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — New York City beaches are open for the season but wet weather is putting a damper on the Memorial Day weekend.
Beach season runs from Saturday through Sept. 13 with lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, despite the start of the swimming season, the National Weather Service has issued a high rip current risk for the weekend.
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The high rip current risk and high surf advisory will be in effect through 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the NWS. Breaking waves of 6 to 10 feet are expected across Brooklyn, southern Queens, southern Nassau County and southwest and southeast Suffolk County, forecasters say.
Residents are advised to stay out of the water if visiting the beach this weekend, especially those who are inexperienced swimmers. Those who still decide to go into the surf zone are advised to stay near lifeguards, swim in the direction following the shoreline and carry floatation devices.
Over on the popular Coney Island boardwalk, the beach was mainly empty, which is less than ideal for local business owners who rely on the warm season for customers.
“A lot of us here are seasonal. We do rely on good weather when we do open. So, it’s not the best way to start the season,” said Maya Miller, a business owner on Coney Island. “However, we had such a cold winter and so, during those sunny days that we did have, a nice amount of crowds came out.”
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Residents can sign up for NotifyNYC alerts to be made aware of potential beach closings.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
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