Long Island dodged a major blow as Hurricane Humberto stayed offshore, sparing the region from the kind of devastation seen in past storms. While the system kicked up heavy surf, beach erosion was minimal and flooding concerns eased quickly.
At its peak, Humberto was a powerful Category 5 hurricane, but it weakened to tropical storm strength as it passed south of Long Island. The storm merged with the remnants of Tropical Storm Imelda, though both systems were suppressed by the jet stream.
Meteorologists noted the similarity to the 1991 “Perfect Storm,” which also formed from a merger of weather systems. That historic storm struck around Halloween, serving as a reminder that hurricane season continues through November.
On the Mastic Peninsula, some flooding occurred during high tide, but water levels receded just as quickly. “We had some flooding along the shoreline,” said Mastic Beach Fire Commissioner Bill Biondi. “The tide definitely came up. It was over the bulkhead by the marina. Some of the streets were flooded but disappeared as soon as the tide went back out.”
Biondi added that the flooding was more typical of a higher-than-normal tide than a hurricane surge. “We didn’t even have a full moon or a new moon,” he said. “It was just the fact that those waves were pounding out there. As soon as the tide went out, the water level dropped.”
Smith Point’s Outer Beach saw some shifting sands, but no breaches were reported. “There was some erosion in spots, but within the next couple of weeks the sand comes back,” Commissioner Biondi explained. “It seems to be a cycle.”
Looking at the wider picture, Biondi noted the South Shore’s good fortune. “We were lucky. We had two large storms out in the Atlantic, and they both decided to head east.