Heavy rain prompts Suffolk County to advise against bathing at 63 beaches

Heavy rainfall across Long Island recently prompted the Suffolk County Department of Health Services to issue an advisory against bathing at 63 beaches.
Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said that advisory includes “beaches within and adjacent to various north shore embayments (Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington Harbor and Bay, Centerport Harbor, Northport Harbor and Bay, Port Jefferson Harbor Complex, and Stony Brook Harbor), along the northern shoreline of the Great South Bay, Sag Harbor, and those Long Island Sound beaches that are directly impacted by nearby storm water discharges.”
According to the commissioner, the advisory is based on the “potential that bacterial numbers in excess of New York State standards, resulting from the heavy rain, will impact these areas.”
The department is recommending bathers wait for “two successive tidal cycles” before entering the water again, or at least 24 hours.
The state has an interactive map that shows the scope of the advisories across the island. It can be found here.