Long Island weather: High winds into Monday night, power outages reported
Strong winds, with gusts as high as 55 mph, could create dangerous conditions across Long Island on Monday into the evening, the National Weather Service said.
The weather service warned that downed trees, tree limbs and power lines are all possible as a result, while unsecured objects, such as outdoor furniture, could also pose a hazard.
Adding to the potential for damage is that ground saturated from recent rainstorms could make the chance for downed trees more likely than usual.
A wind advisory issued by the weather service is in effect through to 11 p.m. Monday — though forecasters said Long Island should see much better weather by midweek.
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects,” the advisory said, adding: “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”
PSEG Long Island reported that as of 3:30 p.m. Monday 71 outages were affecting 1,133 customers, but by 9:15 p.m. there were just 10 outages affecting 176 customers.
Of the customers affected by outages as of 9:15 p.m., 162 were in Nassau County and 14 were in Suffolk County.
As of 11 a.m., PSEG Long Island was reporting 44 active outages affecting 896 customers, up from 21 active outages affecting 74 customers at 9:30 a.m.
The weather service said a wind gust of 58 mph was recorded in Bayville at 2:16 p.m. Monday, while a gust was clocked at 66 mph 159 feet above the ground in Stony Brook at 8:46 a.m.
The average wind speed during the day in Islip was 23 mph.
Meanwhile, a gale warning is in effect for coastal waters off Long Island's South Shore through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The weather service is calling for sunny skies and a high of near 61 degrees Tuesday in Islip, though winds will remain breezy at 11 to 14 mph.
Mostly sunny skies are expected on both Wednesday and Thursday with high temperatures both days of about 59 degrees.
There is a chance of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
