Power restored for most who lost power after heavy rain, winds, PSEG LI says
After a night of heavy rain and lashing winds on Long Island, rain was expected to clear for the weekend with the return of frigid temperatures.
Temperatures are set to drop 30 degrees Saturday with a low pressure cold front moving east from the northern Midwest, according to the National Weather Service.
Heavy rain and strong winds brought down large trees, branches and wires across Long Island and the Rockaways, knocking out power overnight to about 25,000 people.
PSEG Long Island technicians were continuing to repair storm damage and power outages. The utility said crews had restored service to all but about 1,500 customers by Friday evening, primarily along the North Shore of Nassau County. High winds prevented crews from using bucket trucks with lifts to repair wires.
"Our crews will continue to work until every customer is restored," said John O’Connell, vice president for Transmission & Distribution at PSEG Long Island. "We know that being without power for any length of time is a hardship, and with today being Christmas, we thank our customers for their patience as we work through the damage to restore their power safely and as quickly as possible."
Long Island is expected to see highs in the low 30s Saturday and Sunday, with wind chills between 15 and 20 degrees, forecasters said.
"For the weekend it should be dry and sunny, but temperatures will be well below average with only highs in the 30s," meteorologist James Tomasini said.
A car drives southbound on the Meadowbrook Parkway at Old Country Road in Carle Place as the rain comes down on Christmas. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Much of Long Island saw up to 2 inches of rain by Friday and wind gusts up to 50-60 mph. Winds were clocked at up to 76 mph in Eatons Neck.
Showers had cleared by Friday night and weren’t expected to return until at least Monday night, meteorologists said. Even with colder temperatures, Long Island is not expected to see the return of snowfall next week, forecasters said.
"Most of the winds, luckily, are done with," said meteorologist Matthew Wunsch.
The cause of the storm, Wunsch said, was a large, moisture-laden low-pressure weather system that pushed north from the Gulf of Mexico. It will be cold though, with lows in the 20s on Saturday night and in the 30s Sunday evening before a high of 49 degrees Monday.
Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.
'Tis the season for the NewsdayTV Holiday Show! The NewsdayTV team looks at the most wonderful time of the year and the traditions that make it special on LI.
'Tis the season for the NewsdayTV Holiday Show! The NewsdayTV team looks at the most wonderful time of the year and the traditions that make it special on LI.
