Saugerties Lighthouse trail closed in advance of storm surge

Dec. 21—SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — Saugerties Lighthouse officials have closed the site's trail until further notice in anticipation of a storm surge.

Lighthousekeeper Pat Landewe said the trail was closed on Wednesday and will reopen after the surge fully subsides.

"The tide will already be 4.9 feet and they're talking about a three-foot storm surge that is expected to come in on Friday so that will make it about eight feet," he said.

The already high tide, which is due to a new moon, will peak at the same time that extratropical storm arrives from the midwest and pushes incoming water from the Atlantic Ocean up the Hudson River.

"The last time we had this was during Superstorm Sandy (in 2012) and the water came up over" the stone lighthouse support platform, Landewe said.

"You just hope that people are ready because this will impact the same areas along the Rondout and Esopus (Creeks)," he said. "There is also going to be high tides through Saturday, so we're going to keep the trail close through then at least and then evaluate it to see what needs to be done to reopen it."

The National Weather Service issued a "hazardous weather outlook" statement for the region, warning that a "major storm tracking northeast across the Great Lakes will bring the threat of multiple hazards" late Thursday through Friday night and the potential for a "flash freeze." It also issued a flood watch from Friday morning through Saturday morning in Ulster, Dutchess and Greene counties.

(c)2022 Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.