Staten Island Weather — Friday, May 22, 2026: A cool, breezy, gray Friday on the island. National Weather Service forecasts a high near 65°F (falling to 60°F by afternoon), east winds 9–15 mph off Lower Bay, and only a 2% chance of rain during the day. The midday SIR maintenance window and the weekend’s three-day rain event are the things Staten Islanders need to plan around.
The Staten Island forecast
Tonight the temperature drops to 50°F under cloud cover, with the easterly breeze holding at 8–13 mph. A 30% chance of rain arrives after 2 a.m. Saturday — earlier and a touch higher than Manhattan’s 20% chance, because the island catches the coastal rain shield first as the storm rotates up the Jersey shore. The NWS-issued 2:42 a.m. update is the most recent product available; it supersedes any older guidance still cached on third-party weather apps.
Why the island runs cooler and breezier than the rest of NYC
Staten Island’s three NWS-modeled microclimates — the South Shore (Tottenville, Annadale, Great Kills), the East Shore (Midland Beach, New Dorp, Dongan Hills), and the North Shore (St. George, Stapleton, Port Richmond) — all feel the easterly fetch off Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay today. That’s a 3–5 degree marine cooling effect compared with Manhattan, and a few extra miles per hour of sustained wind. If you live on Todt Hill or up the Greenbelt, expect to be a degree or two cooler still.
Friday borough-specific impact
Staten Island Railway: midday boarding change 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Per MTA real-time status published at 5:33 a.m. ET, scheduled maintenance affects Grasmere, Clifton, Stapleton, and Tompkinsville from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today. During the window:
- Tottenville-bound trains depart 5 minutes earlier than the printed schedule.
- St. George-bound trains depart 2 minutes later than the printed schedule.
- Boarding location at the four lower-island stations may shift to the opposite end of the platform — watch for MTA staff and signage.
If you’re catching the 11:30 a.m. ferry from St. George, the earlier southbound and later northbound departures mean you should leave home 10 minutes earlier than usual. The Staten Island Ferry itself runs its standard weekday schedule (every 15–20 minutes during AM/PM rush, every 30 minutes off-peak, 24/7).
Express buses to Manhattan
All SIM routes (SIM1 through SIM35) operate on a regular weekday schedule today. The 5–11 mph easterly wind is not strong enough to slow Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge crossings. The next Sunday-schedule day for the SIM fleet is Memorial Day, Monday May 25.
Schools
All Staten Island public schools — including Tottenville High School, Susan Wagner, Curtis, New Dorp, Petrides, Port Richmond, and CSI High School for International Studies — are open on a normal Friday schedule. Outdoor recess is fine in the 60s. Field trips to Clay Pit Ponds, Conference House Park, or the Greenbelt should plan for light jackets.
Alternate Side Parking — suspended today
ASP is suspended Friday May 22 and Saturday May 23 for the two days of Shavuoth, per the NYC DOT 2026 ASP Suspension Calendar. Then it’s suspended again Monday May 25 (Memorial Day), Wednesday May 27 (Eid al-Adha), and Thursday May 28 (also Eid al-Adha — DOT lists “Wed-Thurs” for Idul-Adha). Bottom line for the island: if you have street parking that requires a Tuesday or Friday move, you don’t need to move it until Tuesday, May 26. Meters still need to be fed where they apply.
DSNY garbage and recycling
Today is a normal Friday collection day across Staten Island. Trash, Curbside Composting, and recycling all run on schedule. DSNY does not observe Shavuoth. The next service interruption is Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day) — Monday-route households will be picked up one day later all week.
The big story: the weekend washout
Staten Island catches the heavier end of this weekend’s rainfall because the storm sets up to the south and east, with the heaviest precipitation rotating northwest across Raritan Bay first. NWS forecast totals for Staten Island specifically:
- Saturday daytime (5/23): Rain showers from about 8 a.m., steadier rain after 2 p.m. High near 57°F. Rainfall: 0.50–0.75 inches (heavier than the 0.25–0.50 forecast for Manhattan).
- Saturday night: Sustained rain, slight chance of thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Low 50°F. East winds 14–18 mph. Rainfall: 1 to 2 inches.
- Sunday (5/24): Rain and slight thunderstorm chance. High 64°F. East-to-northeast winds 8–18 mph. Rainfall: 0.75–1.00 inches.
Cumulative Staten Island weekend rainfall: 2.25 to 3.75 inches. Areas to watch:
- Hylan Boulevard near Great Kills and New Dorp Beach — historic flooding spots.
- Father Capodanno Boulevard and the East Shore from Midland Beach to South Beach.
- Victory Boulevard underpasses at the SIE.
- Travis-Chelsea low-lying streets on the West Shore.
- Tottenville near Conference House Park — wind-driven coastal spray possible Saturday night with the 14–18 mph easterly.
If you live on a block that floods, move your car to higher ground by Saturday afternoon. The Saturday-night system is the heaviest, and getting a vehicle out at 11 p.m. in 18 mph wind and driving rain is a much worse problem than moving it at 4 p.m.
Specific Friday decisions for Staten Island residents
- Beach plans for the weekend: Cancel. South Beach, Midland Beach, and the Boardwalk are washouts Saturday and Sunday.
- Greenbelt hikes: Today is the day. The trails will be a soup by Sunday.
- Lawn and garden: Don’t water; rain will do it. Don’t apply pre-emergent or fertilizer either — it will wash straight into Lower Bay.
- Bridge runners and walkers (Verrazzano-Narrows pedestrian path): Today is the last good day. Bridge winds spike Saturday afternoon.
- SIR riders 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Add 5–10 minutes of buffer time and watch the signage at Grasmere, Clifton, Stapleton, and Tompkinsville.
- Shavuoth observers: Synagogues across the island are open for evening services. Two-day ASP suspension means street parking is one less thing to manage.
Sunrise, sunset, and what’s next
Sunrise at St. George this morning was 5:32 a.m.; sunset is at 8:14 p.m. The Memorial Day forecast is the carrot: high near 75°F, drying out by mid-morning, and the best beach-readying weather of the long weekend. Save the cookout for Monday.
Forecast valid through Memorial Day. Sources: National Weather Service / NWS New York office (api.weather.gov gridpoints OKX 29,35 for Staten Island, issued 2026-05-22 06:42 UTC); MTA Real-Time Service Status (collector-otp-prod.camsys-apps.com, 2026-05-22 05:33 ET); NYC DOT 2026 Alternate Side Parking Suspension Calendar (nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/asp-calendar-2026.pdf); NYC DOE 2025–2026 School Year Calendar; NYC DSNY Holiday Schedule (nyc.gov/site/dsny).
