Dan Good
Better bring the umbrella.
A storm system brought gusty wind and heavy rain to the northeast this morning, making for a messy New York City commute and causing travel delays across the region.
A five-story scaffold fell about 1:30 a.m. in Bensonhurst. No injuries were reported from the incident.
The structure broke away from a four-story building in that is under construction and fell onto electrical wires. It also damaged an SUV that was parked across the street.
The storm also flooded roadways in New Jersey, forcing officials to close lanes on I-287 southbound in Harding Township, Morris County, as well as NJ 35 northbound in Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County.
Meteorologist Patrick O'Hara at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly says about an inch of rain has fallen across the state, although there's been an inch and a half in northern sections.
The rain is expected to taper off before the afternoon.
Wind gusts of 50 mph are expected to lower to gusts of 40 mph.
The wind is downing tree limbs and power lines. Atlantic City Electric is reporting 14,423 customers without service, mainly in Cumberland and Salem counties.
Jersey Central Power & Light has 5,513 homes and businesses without service, mostly in Ocean County.
Officials are urging drivers to slow down on bridges due to the high winds.
According to weather.com, rain should fall until the early afternoon, but the wind should continue, likely leading to widespread air delays.
The storm should drop temperatures into the 20s during the next few days, worrisome cold for city residents and Christmas travelers.
The Federal Aviation Administration says some flights arriving at La Guardia Airport on Friday morning are delayed an average of nearly three hours each. Flights heading to John F. Kennedy International Airport were not permitted to take off until after 7:15 a.m. due to high winds.
The NWS has issued a high wind warning for the city and Long Island, forecasting winds gusts up to 60 miles per hour.
The NWS has also issued storm warnings starting Friday and lasting until later Saturday afternoon for an area stretching from New York's southwest corner to the Rochester area. Friday's rainfall will give way to snow storms that will dump between 2 inches and more than a foot in some areas in the Buffalo-Niagara region, depending on elevation and proximity to the Lake Erie shoreline.
Blowing snow could be a problem in some western areas as winds hit 20 mph to 30 mph.
Several inches of snow is expected to fall in parts of central New York and the Adirondacks.
Newark Liberty International Airport officials issued a weather statement this morning stating that travel disruptions are likely - and urging travelers to contact their airline to check on flight statuses.
The same storm system dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the midwest.
With AP
AP
Storm brings heavy rain and wind to NYC, flight delays to La Guardia and JFK
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Storm brings heavy rain and wind to NYC, flight delays to La Guardia and JFK