What to Know
- A widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain fell across much of the region Sunday, though some spots, like Islip, saw more
- Wind gusts of 65-75 mph tore through coastal Suffolk County; much of the city and New Jersey saw gusts top 40 mph
- The system moves out Monday, though it'll still be gusty; fortunately, the weather for Halloween looks ideal for trick-or-treating
Gusty winds and torrential rain flooded streets and toppled trees throughout much of the tri-state area Sunday, leaving thousands of people in the dark and mucking up Monday's morning commute as Metro-North, subway and LIRR crews worked to clear weather-related debris from the tracks.
Some public school systems had to delay opening or, in the case of the Westport Public Schools in Connecticut, cancel classes entirely because of safety concerns. The storm punished the region all day Sunday, dropping a widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain, with some areas seeing more than that, Storm Team 4 says. Central Park saw more than 3 inches of rain, as did Islip and Carmel. Nearly 4.5 inches of rain were recorded at Danbury Airport in Connecticut.
Driving Rain, Damaging Winds Assail Tri-State on Anniversary of Sandy
Cars struggled to bypass flooded streets from Eatontown to White Plains amid the driving rain and winds. In midtown Manhattan, those who ventured outside struggled to hang onto their umbrellas. Part of the northbound FDR Drive was flooded near 34th Street. Most of the flood warnings expired by early Monday, and Storm Team 4 says the rain was supposed to move out in the morning.
The wind, though, was expected to linger, with gusts possibly intensifying over the course of the day. A wind advisory is in effect through early afternoon.
On Long Island, those winds were responsible for knocking out power to tens of thousands of people. PSEG Long Island had more than 12,000 customers without service across Long Island and the Rockaways by Monday night; it's restored service to more than 100,000 customers since midnight Sunday.
@ABC7NYNewsDesk @FiOS1NewsNJ @brian4NY @CBSNewYork @fox5ny @CliffviewPilot @HRG_Media @HackensackPD 400 Maple Hill Drive Large tree limbs into a house causing roof damage. No injuries. Fire Department and building department on scene pic.twitter.com/C30xLhBpzI
— HackensackFDNJ (@HackensackFDNJ) October 30, 2017
The peak number of outages happened at midnight Monday, when nearly 47,000 customers had no power. The utility says it expected 95 percent of the customers who were hit with outages since midnight Sunday to be restored by midnight Monday; the rest should be restored by midnight Tuesday.
In New Jersey, at least 10,000 customers were without power early Monday. Severe flooding was causing streets to close. Like Long Island, trees were knocked down as well as power lines. In Hackensack, the fire department said large tree limbs fell onto a house, causing roof damage. No one was hurt.
Local
In Fairfield County, Connecticut, about 9,000 people were reported without power.
Storm Team 4 says the windiest areas are expected to be on Long Island, but that gusts of more than 40 mph are likely in the city and Hudson Valley even after the rain moves out.
The weather improves for Halloween, with partly to mostly sunny skies forecast and highs in the upper 50s, Storm Team 4 says.
Due to a mudslide, Danbury branch service is suspended. Tickets will be cross-honored on the Harlem Line.
— Metro-North Railroad (@MetroNorth) October 30, 2017
The rest of the work week is cloudy as temperatures hover around the low 60s during the day. A few passing showers are possible Thursday, but it's dry and mild to end the week.
