NYC beaches in Queens, Brooklyn remain closed to swimming due to strong rip currents from Ernesto
CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Some New York City beaches remain closed on Sunday as Tropical Storm Ernesto continues to make its way up the East Coast.
Beaches in Queens and Brooklyn are closed to swimming as a result of life-threatening conditions posed by strong rip currents. The closures include:
- Coney Island and Brighton Beach
- Manhattan Beach
- Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk
- Jacob Riis Beach
NYC Parks and Recreation is also advising against swimming and wading at South Beach and Wolf Pond's Beach on Staten Island. You can check the latest status on area beaches on the NYC Parks website.
"We want people to be out and we want them to be enjoying our facilities, but we want them to do it safely," said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. "And a rip current is something that people can get caught in. They may not see, they may not know where it is, and knowing that it's going to be that much more significant because of this tropical storm, we want to use the utmost of caution."
Red flags are up and on-duty lifeguards will be out of their chairs, urging people to stay out of the waters while continuing to monitor for emergencies. In preparation for the strong rip currents, crews reinforced area beaches with mounds of sand to protect them from erosion.
Some beaches could see waves between 4-8 feet as a result of the strong rip currents, according to the latest AccuWeather forecast.
Beaches are expected to reopen on Monday.
RELATED | Area beaches prepare for rip currents as Ernesto churns off East Coast
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