What to Know
- It's a windy and cold Monday with gusts up to 50 mph and wind chills in the 20s and 30s; wind advisories are in effect through the evening
- Conditions stay blustery for Election Day on Tuesday before temperatures warm back up through the end of the week
- Meanwhile, parts of northern New York could see up to 10 inches of snow from an approaching system; western and central New York, the Finger Lakes, North Country and Mohawk Valley could see 7
Raging winds brought down trees and caused power outages across the tri-state area Monday, following some isolated storms over the weekend and a Saturday that saw the coldest air of the season thus far.
Soaked soil from last week's saturating rains made it easier for winds, which delivered some gusts up to 50 mph and higher, to bring down trees and cause major power outages.
Thousands of outages were reported by mid-morning, while firefighters in Passaic worked to extricate an SUV trapped under a mammoth fallen tree. A 66-year-old pastor had to have surgery for a vertebrae injury after the huge tree came crashing down when he was on his way to grab breakfast.
A woman in Morris Township was in her front yard with her dog when she was hit by a massive tree that was sent crashing to the ground by the brute force of the wind. A neighbor came rushing out and found her unconscious, and she was rushed to the hospital.
The Long Island Rail Road reported delays due to trees on the tracks mid-morning. Shortly before noon, Metro-North suspended service on its Harlem line because of similar problems.
The strong winds were also blamed for bringing down live wires in West Babylon, causing a vehicle to burst into flames. No injuries were reported.
A wind advisory was in effect for southeast New York, northeast New Jersey, and southern Connecticut until 6 p.m. Winds have since weakened with remaining wind gusts sticking between 20-25 miles per hour, and will continue to diminish overnight.
Conditions stay slightly chilly for Election Day on Tuesday but it will warm back up through the end of the week. Like Monday, areas north and west could see some more clouds, as well as a few passing flakes or sprinkles earlier in the day, but the rest of the region should stay relatively dry under partly cloudy skies.
There doesn't appear to be another chance for wet weather in the tri-state area possibly until next week, when some showers could move in for Veterans Day.
Local
Meanwhile, a wintry weather system in northern New York is expected to dump up to 10 inches of snow accompanied by similar high winds, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday evening.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches and advisories for areas around the state. Parts of western and central New York, the Finger Lakes, North Country and Mohawk Valley are expected to see 3 to 7 inches of snow, while some lake-effect snowfall areas of central and northern New York may get up to 10 inches.
