Winds are whipping across New York state as tornado watches temporarily shifted to warnings then back again. Severe thunderstorm warnings also swept strong winds through the state.
But how windy did it get in New York City and the lower Hudson Valley? Here are the strongest wind gusts recorded across eastern New York as of 5 p.m. on Thursday. As of then, the highest recorded gust was 49 mph in Orange County, which took place at 1:19 p.m., according to Weather Service data.
Strongest gusts across eastern New York
Strongest gusts elsewhere in New York
High wind reports were not available throughout central New York as of late afternoon Thursday.
Gusts up to 55 mph and sustained winds between 20 and 30 mph were predicted (until 8 p.m.) by Weather Service meteorologists.
Tornado watch in 3 dozen NY counties
A tornado watch was underway for three dozen counties in New York state on Thursday through 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. Those counties – mainly in central, northern and eastern New York – were at risk for tornado activity, isolated hail and strong wind gusts.
In turn, tree branches and other items are bearing the brunt of the wind, at times snapping and leading to power outages across the state. Thousands of utility customers have lost power as a result.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: See the strongest wind gusts recorded in the NYC area as storms move through
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Victoria E. Freile, New York Connect Team | USA TODAY Network
