Powerful storm sweeps in
Wind damage, power outages anticipated in Capital Region
The intense winds moving from the Midwest to the Northeast could lead to widespread power outages as the worst of the storm hits the Capital Region Monday.
The National Weather Service said top gusts of up to 65 mph will enter our area Monday. Falling trees and tree limbs could potentially cause major damage.
As winds picked up in the Capital Region Sunday evening, the National Weather Service recorded a 46 mile per hour gust at Albany airport.
A high wind warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Monday.
“It’s a powerful storm system,” said Joe Villani, meterologist at the National Weather Service in Albany. “Even though
it’s fairly far away, it’s quite farreaching.”
Villani said winds would steadily increase overnight, with the strongest hitting early Monday morning and continuing throughout the day.
The Buffalo area experienced the storm’s intensity Sunday as more than 35,000 were without power. Winds were so strong that ice covering the Niagara River broke into huge pieces and blew over retaining walls in Ontario, Canada.
The center of the storm is hanging over Quebec, Canada, but there were high-wind warnings as far west as Illinois.
Meanwhile, a cold front moved into the region Sunday evening. Temperatures dropped below freezing in the Adirondacks and western Mohawk Valley, potentially leading to frozen roads and hazardous travel. Watertown was under a blizzard warning Sunday, as the system picked up moisture from Lake Ontario.
On Sunday, New York state had instituted a ban on empty tractor trailers and tandems driving on the New York state Thruway Sunday from Utica to the Pennsylvania line south of Dunkirk.
National Grid said it is closely monitoring the wind storm in New York state, and that it has 3,250 line, service, tree, damage assessment and public safety workers ready to respond to damage. National Grid advised people to prepare for possible power outages with flashlights and extra batteries and keep mobile devices fully charged.
Villani said if there are power outages, it will be difficult to keep homes warm because temperatures will drop into the teens Monday night into Tuesday. Tuesday night temperatures will then drop into the single digits.
Some flights arriving and departing Albany International Airport Sunday were delayed or canceled. Check on flight information here: http://albany airport.com/flights/arrivalsdepartures.