Surf’s waaay up, dude!
Surfers flocked to Rockaway Beach in Queens Thursday to ride a swell of giant waves kicked up by Hurricane Erin — as the storm threatened to flood some nearby coastal areas.
“There’s more adrenaline out there because the waves are bigger,” said Michael Kololyan, 35, who runs a surf school in the neighborhood.
Surfers flocked to Rockaway Beach Thursday to ride a swell of extra-large waves kicked up by Hurricane Erin. Bryan Bedder for NY PostKololyan hung ten on waves that were 6 to 8 feet tall Thursday afternoon — and had to cancel surf classes because the conditions were too gnarly.
“These hurricane swells have been traveling for thousands of miles. It’s bringing an intense amount of energy to the coastline,” he said.
“It’s experienced people only out there right now.”
Waves on Rockaway beach peaked at 9 feet Thursday and swelled up to 16 feet on the Jersey shore, said FOX Weather Senior Meteorologist Greg Diamond.
Overall, Hurricane Erin is expected to have only a minor impact on the Big Apple weather Thursday night and Friday with breezy winds up to 30 mph, Diamond told The Post.
Waves peaked at 9 feet tall on Rockaway Beach Thursday. Bryan Bedder for NY Post
Only professional surfers hit the beach Thursday for 6 to 8 foot waves. Bryan Bedder for NY Post
The waves, being larger than usual, were due to the effects of Hurricane Erin. Bryan Bedder for NY PostBut coastal sections of southern Long Island and the entire Jersey shore are at risk of flooding as the storm churns northwest, he said.
“One thing we do have to watch for is high tide. There could be some moderate coastal flooding,” he said.
High tide will hit Long Island around 9 a.m. Friday morning and the Jersey shore at 8 a.m., he said.
Parts of Long Island and New Jersey are at major risk for flooding, while the Big Apple will likely be unaffected by the hurricane. Bryan Bedder for NY Post
Erin will avoid landfall throughout the East Coast, but the aftereffects of the storm have been felt across bodily waters in the area. Bryan Bedder for NY Post
The weather throughout the weekend in New York City is expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures in the mid-80s. Bryan Bedder for NY PostIn New York City, Friday is expected to be “pretty gorgeous,” in the mid-80s and partly sunny, Diamond said.
Saturday will be sunny and also in the mid-80s after the storm leaves.
Erin has skirted the East Coast will mercifully avoid landfall, but the storm was so massive its effects were felt on beaches across the Eastern Seaboard.
It stretched more than 500 miles in diameter Thursday evening — placing it in the largest 10% of storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, Fox Weather said.
And while the swells it sent crashing into North Carolina’s Outer Banks reached up to 20 feet, a National Weather Service buoy about 150 miles offshore recorded an average wave height of 40-feet Thursday morning.
And some of those waves reached as high as 80 feet as the hurricane passed overhead.
“It is larger than most storms,” meteorologist Jarrod Maoloney said.
“This area of the Atlantic has larger sized storms than other parts of the Atlantic, larger than the Gulf of Mexico.”
