

Greater Long Island coverage is funded in part by Toresco & Simonelli, a boutique injury and family law firm in West Islip. They fight for their clients. Click here to get in touch.
Local businesses say the rain has put a real damper on spring earnings
A sun-splashed weekend is finally in the forecast as Long Island exits its eighth — and possibly final — rainy weekend in a row.
“We recorded at least a trace [of rain] in every weekend of May,” said James Tomasini, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Upton.
The last weekend there wasn’t any rain recorded in Islip was April 19 and April 20.
And before that? You’d have to push back into March.
Since April 5, Long Island logged 10 rainy weekends, with the wet stuff falling on 10 Saturdays and six Sundays.
Weekend rainfall (Islip)
- Saturday, April 5 – 0.10″
- Sunday, April 6 – 0.13″
- Saturday, April 12 – 0.14″
- Sunday, April 13 – 0.12″
- Saturday, April 26 – 0.55″
- Saturday, May 3 – Trace
- Sunday, May 4 – 0.05″
- Saturday, May 10 – Trace
- Saturday, May 17 – 0.01″
- Saturday, May 24 – Trace
- Sunday, May 25 – Trace
- Saturday, May 31 – 0.41″
- Saturday, June 7 – 0.31″
- Sunday, June 8 – 0.01″
- Saturday, June 14 – 0.57″
- Sunday, June 15 – Trace
But there’s good news for our sun worshippers. The skies are expected to clear just in time for this coming weekend, with temps climbing into the mid to upper 80s.
According to the Climate Prediction Center, Long Island has a 60 to 70 percent chance of above-normal temperatures starting this weekend, June 21 and June 22, and no rain is currently in the forecast.

There’s even a slight risk of excessive heat — a heat index of 105 degrees or higher sustained for at least two hours.
Still, Tomasini said the outlook calls for near or above-normal precipitation over the next few months.
But after nearly two months of soggy Saturdays, the damage is already done for some.
They’ve got bills to pay
“This is our time to make money, so it’s been frustrating,” said John Sarno, owner of the waterside restaurant Drift 82 in Patchogue.
Sarno said weekday traffic has been steady, but rainy weekends have forced him to cancel outdoor performances and cost him half or more of his expected revenue.
Luke Hickling, who owns Moriches Island Sailing, echoed those frustrations. He said he’s had to cancel or reschedule countless charters, motorboat rentals and sailing lessons — all of which depend heavily on decent weather.
“This spring has been particularly brutal,” Hickling said. “I had to reschedule many, many more lessons and charters than other years.
“And beyond just having to cancel or reschedule the ones that get booked, I’ve been seeing a lot less bookings.”
Waking up to gorgeous weekdays made things only more frustrating for Hickling.
“I’m hoping for a little more rain during the week,” he said, “and a lot less during the weekends.”
Editor’s note: The top photo was taken Saturday, June 15, at IKEA in Hicksville. It has been altered to remove a license plate and tag number. (Credit: GLI/Michael White)