A powerful nor’easter that hit Long Island on Monday left brief power outages, South Shore beach erosion and lingering coastal flooding in its wake, making some local roads temporarily impassible for drivers.
Mecox Bay in the Hamptons had the strongest wind gust in the tri-state area, clocking in at 69 mph. The gusts and nearly 40 mph sustained winds downed branches, trees and power lines, leaving thousands without power at times. Although only about an inch of rain fell on the region, high tides that were forecast to be up to three feet above normal, inundating low-lying water front areas.
“Crews will continue to work throughout the day to restore service to customers without power,” PSEG Long Island said in a statement Tuesday morning, when the utility reported it had restored service to more than 26,000 of its 1.1 million customers. More than 1,400 homes and businesses remained without power before noon Tuesday.
The nor’easter moved north across upstate New York and New England after it hit LI and the New York Metro area. The high wind warning was lifted but a coastal flood advisory remains in effect for Nassau and Suffolk counties through 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Although the storm is over for the region, rain is forecast for Tuesday night before skies clear up Wednesday through the weekend, with temperatures in the 40s dropping into the 30s after sundown and during the day on Saturday and Sunday.
Damage left in the storm’s wake included downed power lines that resulted in the temporary closure of Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow late Monday, among many other local streets. Roads temporarily closed due to flooding included several lanes on the Wantagh State Parkway, Fire Island Avenue near Pier 44 in Babylon and a lane of Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst. The storm was also reported to have caused erosion at Atlantic-facing beaches.
