New York City

Dangerous Winds Tear off Roofs, Topple Trees, Slow Travel as Gusts Hit 60 MPH

Winds will quickly subside on Monday night, and the weather looks fairly pleasant on Valentine’s Day Tuesday, Storm Team 4 says

What to Know

  • Most of the tri-state, including New York City, is under a wind advisory Monday
  • The National Weather Services warns of wind from 20 mph to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph
  • By early morning, the wind had already been blamed for a transformer fire and train suspensions

Severe high winds began to blow across the tri-state Monday morning as another winter blast moved out of the region, knocking down trees, complicating travel and causing power outages as gusts topped 60 mph.

The strongest winds will gust from sunrise to late afternoon, the National Weather Service said, and officials in New York City are warning residents to be wary of possible flying debris and scattered power outages. 

A high wind warning is in effect for the five boroughs until 6 p.m. Monday.

In lower Manhattan, firefighters worked to secure scaffolding that came off the 30th floor of a building at 250 Broadway. In Queens, high winds tore off part of the roof of a gas station at 173-12 Horace Harding Expressway, and in Yonkers, gusts toppled a tree onto a home. No one was hurt in any of the cases. 

Weather-related delays were reported at area airports for the fifth straight day, with LaGuardia averaging more than three-hour delays for arriving flights as the wind forced the airport to shutter all runways but one. Newark Airport was reporting average delays of more than two and a half hours for arrivals, and John F. Kennedy International Airport was averaging hour-plus delays. 

The rails were also heavily impacted. Service on NJ Transit's Morris & Essex line was shut down for about an hour Monday morning as crews dealt with a tree that fell onto an overhead wire. It was restored by about 7:30 a.m., but delays of at least 60 minutes were reported in both directions. Service on the Gladstone branch, which was shut down shortly after the Morris line, remained suspended through the morning. 

Trees on tracks also caused delays for Metro-North riders. The Harlem branch was suspended in both directions after trees fell on tracks in Hawthorne. 

High winds were also blamed for a transformer fire in the wee hours of Monday morning in Waldwick, as well as delays at some area bridges. A speed restriction of 35 mph was implemented on the George Washington Bridge as a precaution. 

Even though temperatures will rise into the lower to mid 40s by Monday afternoon, whipping wind out of the northwest will make it feel more like it is in the 10s and 20s at times. Winds subside quickly heading into Monday night, but conditions will still be relatively breezy, crisp, and clear, with overnight lows dropping into the 20s. 

The intense winds follow another winter blast that buried parts of the region under a slushy mix of rain, sleet and snow Sunday.

Some school openings were delayed Monday because of the wintry mix. See a list of schools with late openings here

The weather looks fairly pleasant heading into Valentine's Day Tuesday, with a high of 41 degrees expected in the city amid a mix of sun and clouds. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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