Gusty Winds Down Trees, Power Lines Across Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A combination of wet weather and gusty winds are causing problems across the Tri-State area.
A wind advisory is in effect until midnight for the five boroughs, as well as Nassau and Westchester counties.
The National Weather Service said southerly winds of 10 to 20 mph could pack gusts up to 45 mph.
The windy weather is already causing damage throughout parts of the Tri-State area.
A large tree blocked the entire road at 150th Street and Melbourne Avenue after it came crashing down in Flushing, Queens. It is unclear if anyone was injured.
Another tree snapped in the middle of its huge trunk and fell onto a car parked behind it, smashing its windshield. The tree took over the sidewalk and street for hours with its branches splayed out across the small block before crews cleaned it up.
In New Jersey, a tree fell onto a building on Clinton Place in Hackensack around 5:15 a.m..
Another tree fell onto at least one parked car on High Street near Ascension Street in Passaic.
"I woke up and they told me that there was a tree on my car and I found this and now I don't have to go to work," car owner Noam Betesh said.
In Englewood, a massive tree badly damaged a home on Genesee Avenue. The siding was dangling off the structure, the roof was ripped open, and workers were boarding up portions to prevent further destruction.
"I heard this thunderous crash, it was like louder than thunder," Christian Weiss said.
The thick trunk snapped in half like a toothpick sending branches flying directly into a two-story home around noon.
"It was really gusty, so when I'm about to pull over, and I see something behind me, the big tree happened to fall off," Stephen Johnson said, "I definitely heard the crackle of the tiles on the roof and the branches hit the car."
Neighbors were in awe of the damage and ran over to make sure the homeowners were okay.
"Her whole house was stripped. The tree had fallen and a lot of damage, it's just horrible. I just shows what these storms can do," Weiss said.
"My main concern was please let nobody be in that car or driveway," Johnson added.
Thankfully nobody was hurt.
In Westchester, a tree in Scarsdale and two others in New Rochelle couldn't make it in the wind.
Power lines came down on Fort Lee Road in Leonia, leaving about 3,000 customers in the area in the dark for about two hours before PSE&G restored service.
On James Street in Westwood several trees came down, snapping power lines.
Kendra, who lives on the block, said keeping an eye on the old trees is a part of life in the neighborhood.
"We took down six trees at our house which was unfortunate but we knew that when you live in an old town like this that you kind of have to do stuff like that," she said.
Con Edison said it is monitoring the weather closely and has extra crews available to respond to any downed wires.
Rain in the morning created slippery rail conditions, delaying train service on Metro-North and Long Island railroads. Torrential rain later in the day could lead to some potential flooding.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
