2 p.m. Saturday Update: Tropical Storm Warning, Storm Surge Watch in Effect For Long Island

10 p.m. Update: Life-Threatening Hermine Storm Surge Possible Along Long Island Coast Long Island is now under a tropical storm watch as Tropical Storm Hermine is now all but guaranteed to ruin Labor Day weekend across the region.



As of 5 p.m. Friday, Hermine was hovering over South Carolina with 50 mph sustained winds and moving northeast at 20 mph. Hermine is expected to re-strengthen to near hurricane force in 48 to 72 hours, the National Hurricane Center says.

Get the latest updates on Hermine by signing up for Patch news alerts here The main impacts to Long Island are forecast Saturday night through Monday with tropical storm conditions possible during that period.

Suffolk County officials are currently expecting 3-5 feet storm surges along the western portion of the Long Island Sound and western South Shore bays starting on Sunday. In addition, emergency responders are preparing for widespread moderate to major flooding, particularly along the South Shore and Fire Island, which would begin on Sunday morning.



"Once again, there is a real possibility that Suffolk County may face an extreme weather event," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. "While there is much uncertainty in the current forecast models of Tropical Storm Hermine, it is likely that we will experience the effects of this storm in some capacity. Since this is a holiday weekend, we are asking our residents and visitors to be aware of the forecast and to use common sense throughout the weekend. We will continue to monitor the projection of the storm and keep our residents updated as necessary."



Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone outlines the county's storm preparation plans Friday afternoon.

In Nassau, County Executive Ed Mangano urged residents to "take steps now to prepare. Residents in coastal neighborhoods should prepare for flooding." RELATED: PSEG Long Island Preparing For Tropical Storm Hermine