Coastal storm batters NYC with heavy winds, power outages and fears of flooding

A ferocious coastal storm brought heavy rain and strong winds to New York City early Monday, causing extensive power outages in Queens, downed trees and the threat of flooding in low-lying areas.

Thousands of New Yorkers were left without power following a steady overnight downpour that complicated the morning commute. Wind speeds neared 60 mph while a flood watch remained in effect in all five boroughs. The Verrazzano Bridge was temporarily closed in both directions.

The National Weather Service warned Monday morning that the deep storm over the Mid-Atlantic coast was expected to move northward into eastern Canada by evening, continuing to produce heavy rain in its path.

Gov. Hochul said Monday that the storm was “having a widespread impact from Long Island through the city all the way up to the Hudson Valley.”

“This will go away — it’s not going to be a sustained event,” she said. “But it’s going to continue to be bad through the morning and afternoon.”

She said power outages had been reported in Queens and Nassau County, and urged New Yorkers to “please be smart” on their morning commutes.

“We’ve been warning people all weekend long that this could be a very treacherous commute, and it is,” she said. “And what we’re most concerned about are the high winds and the coastal areas for flooding.”

NYC Emergency Services said 8,650 people were without power citywide around 8 a.m. Outages affected every borough but Manhattan with Queens seeing the largest number of lost power, including in Middle Village. More than 3,500 customers were left in the dark in that borough. More than 2,270 Staten Island residents were without electricity Monday morning. Power outages throughout the state impacted at least 37,000 New Yorkers.

The governor’s office warned the current weather system is expected to produce between 2 and 4 inches of rain in many locations through Tuesday. The city saw up to 2 inches of rain going into Monday morning. The eastern Catskills could see upward of 5 inches.

J train service was temporarily suspended in both directions as MTA workers cleared debris from tracks at Woodhaven Blvd. Northbound 6 trains were delayed for the same reason at the Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue station in the Bronx. Northbound N trains were diverted to the D line from Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. to 36th St. in Brooklyn while workers cleared clogged tracks near New Utrecht Ave. in the early morning.

Officials blamed track debris for “severe” delays on the J and M lines, where clutter “caused a train’s brakes to activate on the Williamsburg Bridge.”

NYC Ferry temporarily suspended rush-hour service between Rockaway, Sunset Park and Wall Street. The Staten Island Ferry was also slowed by dangerous weather. A travel advisory last until noon was put into effect.

Air travel was impacted at both of the city’s major airports. Flight Aware, which tracks flight delays, reported roughly 14% of early morning departures and arrivals at Laguardia were canceled. JFK reported numerous delays and cancellations. Flights to Boston Logan International Airport experienced average delays of an hour and 45 minutes. More than 130 flights were canceled at that airport by 9:20 a.m.

Mayor Adams on Sunday assured New Yorkers the city was up for handling the rough weather.

“Today’s coastal storm is expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding to New York City — and your city is prepared,” the mayor’s office posted on social media.