Update July 9, 2026
The fast-moving thunderstorm that lead to downed trees, power outages, rescues and calls for emergency services across the East End continues to have lingering effects on local communities.
Southampton Village has extended a State of Emergency, initially slated to expire July 10, to Monday, July 13 at 9 a.m. as “many properties in the village suffered heavy damage to their properties including downed trees and branches. Such conditions continue to threaten and/or imperil the public safety of the citizens of the Village of Southampton. The cleanup is continuing.”
Suffolk County continues to be under a State of Emergency for 30 days beginning July 4, according to the Suffolk County Executive’s office.
Pictured Above: Some traffic lights were still out on Route 58 in Riverhead on July 6, two days after the storm.
New York State’s Individual Assistance division has opened up the Damage Self-Reporting Tool for residents to report in any damage they incurred from the July 4th severe wind/weather event. Here’s the Link: https://arcg.is/0ybK4H0
“In collaboration with Suffolk County, New York State has developed this online form allocating residents to self-report damages to their homes and/or businesses,” according to the announcement that the tool was available. “The purpose of this form is solely to collect information that may help state and local officials identify supplemental damages to develop and augment potential requests for available federal assistance programs. This form is NOT an application for relief programs. If your home and/or business was affected by the Severe Wind/Weather on July 4th please fill out the form.”
Riverhead’s Alive on 25 street fair event originally scheduled for Thursday, July 9 has been postponed to “give residents, vendors, and town staff extra time to handle storm recovery and allow utility crews to restore power to all residents.”
Riverhead Town also reported July 9 that its Sewer District Facility on Riverside Drive “lost grid power during the storm and was automatically switched to backup generators. The facility remained on generator power, until sometime during the early morning hours of July 7, when power was restored by the utility company.”
“At 7 a.m, on July 7, when Sewer District personnel arrived for work, it was discovered the permeate pumps that regulate the bio-solid tanks had faulted – likely when power was restored – causing roughly 20,000 gallons of partially treated sewage to overflow onto Sewer District property, including a facility roadway, into nearby drywells, and into an adjoining Sewer District woodland area,” according to the town. “The pumps were reset after approximately 30 minutes, ceasing the spillage. Further investigation by Sewer Department personnel found the transformer for the alarm system failed, disabling the notification system that would typically be sent to Sewer personnel alerting them to a problem.
Riverhead Sewer District Superintendent said,
“My team vacuumed the free liquid from the drywells and roadway and delivered to the on-site Scavenger Waste Plant. We spread lime and disinfectant to the affected areas and have performed a thorough check of all our systems to make sure this type of event doesn’t happen in the future,” said Sewer District Superintendent Tim Allen in the announcement shared by the town.
Riverhead Tonw said Suffolk County Health Services and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation “were notified and
all required filings and reportings were accomplished, timely. County health officials were on-site during and after the cleanup, and advised all was satisfactorily remedied with no further action is required, at this time.”
Local rainfall totals from Monday’s deluge, according to the National Weather Service, ranged high to low from 3.70 inches in Orient to 3.44 inches in East Hampton, 2.49 inches in Wading River, 1.95 inches in Mattituck, 1.9 inches in Laurel, 1.88 inches in Southold, 1.82 inches in Peconic and 1.54 inches at the Montauk Airport.
Update July 6, 12:30 p.m.
PSEG-Long Island is currently reporting that 3,150 customers are still without power — about 30,000 customers had been without power at some point due to Saturday evening’s storm. On the East End, the largest areas without power are still portions of Hampton Bays, Southampton Village, Flanders and Riverhead.
Some traffic lights at intersections in the Riverhead area were without power Monday morning, as police officers were on scene directing traffic (pictured above: Ostrander Avenue and Route 58 in Riverhead).
We’re beginning to get some data from the National Weather Service on wind totals for the storm.
High wind gusts on the East End during the storm were reported at 66 miles per hour on Mecox Bay in Water Mill, 87 miles per hour in Baiting Hollow, 60 miles per hour at the Coast Guard station at Shinnecock Inlet in Hampton Bays, 50 miles per hour on Great Gull Island, 44 miles per hour at Hither Hills State Park and 42 miles per hour in Peconic, according to the National Weather Service.
Suffolk County is under a State of Emergency for 30 days beginning July 4, according to the Suffolk County Executive’s office.
“The declaration authorizes county departments and agencies to take all necessary actions to protect life, property, and critical infrastructure, and to provide emergency assistance to residents as response and recovery efforts continue,” says the county.
The Suffolk County Health Department has issued an advisory against swimming at 64 beaches throughout the county, as it does after any major rainfall due to the risk of bacteria in the water. As usual, the only beach in the five East End towns on that list is Haven’s Beach in Sag Harbor, where a road runoff outfall pipe runs into the bay.
Update July 5, 5 p.m.
The National Weather Service is warning of potential flash flooding Sunday through Monday night, with “multiple rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms,” with widespread two to three inches of rain likely, with four inches or more possible locally. Here’s their latest briefing.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday around 7,000 customers across PSEG-Long Island’s coverage area were without power. Outages affecting he most customers on the East End were still reported in Southampton, Hampton Bays, Riverhead and Flanders.
Southampton Town and Southampton Village have both declared states of emergency through this Friday, July 10.
Below are a few eyewitness accounts of last night’s damage from social media:
Original Story Follows:
A sudden severe thunderstorm cell brought drenching rain and sudden winds to the East End Saturday evening, just as Fourth of July fireworks displays were ending.
Pictured Above: A downed tree knocked out an electrical service at the intersection of Alvah’s Lane and the Main Road in Cutchogue after Saturday’s storm, blocking access to the roadway.
As of 8 a.m. Sunday morning PSEG-Long Island reported storm-related power outages were still affecting nearly 13,000 customers across Long Island.
The utility company said it had already restored power to more than 17,000 customers affected by the storm-related power outages and to more than 36,000 customers who had suffered from heat-related outages since July 1.
PSEG-Long Island reported that “eastern Suffolk County received the worst weather, with more than 70 mph wind gusts, hail and heavy rain. Southampton, Hampton Bays, Riverhead and Port Jefferson Station are among the hardest hit municipalities.”
Many fireworks displays were started earlier than scheduled in advance of the storm.
A brush fire was reported in the beach grass at Kenney’s Beach in Southold just as fireworks were ending, and first responders were concerned it may spread to neighboring buildings, according to emergency radio dispatches at the time.
Residents who were on the beach told The Beacon the rain started just minutes after the fire began, extinguishing it with assistance from the Southold Fire Department. Below is eyewitness video shared to Facebook:
The burned area of beach grass and Roman candles left behind on Kenney’s Beach in Southold a week after the Fourth of July.
A musician who was on the North Ferry returning from a gig on Shelter Island when the storm began told us hail began falling as they made the crossing.
A Mattituck family returning from fireworks told us they were dodging downed limbs and power lines as they made their way home.
Southold Town Police had reported several road closures on the Main Road and Route 48 just after the storm Saturday evening, all of which were cleared later that evening.
Outside our office in downtown New Suffolk we could hear screams and shouting as holiday revelers ran for cover as a sudden gust of intense wind was followed by lightning and a drenching rain.
The manager of an apartment complex on Dune Road in Westhampton Beach told us the sudden wind ripped the railing, canopies, umbrellas and furniture off the complex’s oceanfront deck, just after residents had left a holiday party. A soaked $20 bill amid the debris was all that was left of a tip jar for staff working the party.
A four-year-old girl in Flanders told us she was walking down her block with her mom to see the fireworks when the skies opened up with rain. They ran home and moments later the power went out.
Their power remained out Sunday morning, and PSEG-Long Island’s outage map said crews are assessing the damage, with power expected to return by midnight.
The girl said emergency sirens continued in her neighborhood for hours while her family lit candles and wondered what was going on outside.
The Riverhead Fire Department reported it responded to 22 calls during the aftermath of the storm, in addition to a working structure fire in Flanders in the early hours of Sunday morning that required assistance from both of RFD’s ladder trucks.
The Flanders Fire Department reported that the Hampton Bays Fire Department also assisted on scene at the structure fire on East Avenue, while Westhampton Beach FD stood by at the Flanders firehouse.
The Flanders Fire Department also reported it responded to 14 calls in the four hours between 9:20 p.m. and 1:20 a.m., prior to the structure fire, including a water rescue in which five people were stranded on a sandbar in Flanders Bay.
All five were transported to safety by a team including Southampton Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Jamesport Fire Department, according to the FFD.
“To our dedicated volunteers: thank you,” said the FFD on Facebook. “Your professionalism, teamwork and commitment to protecting our community were on full display throughout an exhausting and demanding night… To the residents of Flanders, thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support as our members worked tirelessly to answer every call. We are honored to serve this incredible community, no matter the weather or hour.”
The Southampton Fire Department said it responded to 32 calls as a direct result of the storm, “creating a sudden surge of hazards in a very short window. Crews handled a wide range of dangerous incidents, including electrical hazards, burning wires, CO alarms, and trees down on vehicles with occupants trapped inside. Members also worked tirelessly to reopen the area’s roadways when nearly every route was blocked by fallen trees.”
If you would like to share any information about this storm, email us at editor@eastendbeacon.com.
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