A powerful storm that moved across the Great Lakes on April 13 blasted the Northeast with high winds that left damage in parts of the region.
Power lines and trees were downed in numerous parts of New York City's tri-state area as wind gusts topped 50 mph in some spots on April 13. This included Teaneck, New Jersey, in Bergen County, where a massive tree was blown down onto a home and car, according to the National Weather Service. Power lines and downed trees were also reported in the Queens neighborhood of Astoria, New York.
On Monday, an 82-mph gust was detected at Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, around noon. A gust to 73 mph was then recorded in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In Indian Beach, Delaware, a wind gust of 79 mph was recorded and in Cape May, New Jersey, a wind gust of 72 mph was recorded.
The damage from the high winds was reported on the boardwalk in Cape May and in Wildwood, New Jersey. In Cape May, a roof was blown off at a hotel and it was seen lying on the ground.
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Northeast storm update
Numerous pictures of the damage were shared on social media and it also showed other parts of the Jersey Shore. A gas station canopy was knocked down in Egg Harbor Township, and a marina was damaged in Somers Point, across the bridge from Ocean City, New Jersey.
In Cape May and Ocean City, portions of Route 9 were closed Monday afternoon because of the downed power lines on the road. Power lines and downed trees also forced the closures of a lot of roads in Connecticut, including parts of routes 434 and 17 in Middlesex County, Route 107 in Fairfield County and Route 100 in New Haven County. Wind gusts over 60 mph were reported.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph caused a massive crane to sway high in the air. Drive-thru coronavirus testing sites were shut down in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut because of the high winds, according to the New York Times. The New York Health Department closed 10 of its drive-thru testing sites but they will reopen on April 14.
Numerous drive-thru testing sites were also closed in New Jersey, according to NJ.com. At least seven sites had been shut down in Connecticut, according to WTNH-TV.
There are more than 370,000 customers who had no power on Monday evening, from Virginia to New York and Massachusetts, according to PowerOutage.us. Around 130,000 of those were in Massachusetts alone. The high winds were connected to the same weather system that spawned destructive severe storms and tornadoes in the South Sunday into Monday.
High wind warnings
The NWS issued high wind warnings in Philadelphia, New York City, Connecticut and Boston, along with coastal flood warnings. Forecasters are warning that damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines with power outages expected. According to NWS, people should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible remain in the lower levels of the home and to avoid windows.
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