Winds knock down trees, power lines in Riverhead and Aquebogue, leaving hundreds in the dark

Update: More than 100 PSEG customers in Riverhead Town are still without power late this morning and will likely remain without power until late this afternoon or early evening, according to the utility company. There are four separate outages in the township, in Calverton, Northville, Riverhead and Wading River. There are 101 customers affected in central Riverhead, according to PSEG-LI. The other outages are affecting fewer than five customers apiece.

Utility contractors are working to replace a snapped utility pole and repair downed wires on Ostrander Avenue south of Route 58, where a tree came down last night, taking lines with it and snapping the pole.

Original story: Strong winds from a Nor’easter churning across the region knocked down trees and power lines and left thousands without power on Long Island last night, including hundreds of customers in the Town of Riverhead.

PSEG-LI reported 118 customers still without power in Riverhead at 6 a.m. this morning, with nearly 2,700 customers in the dark across the island. The number of customers without power late last night topped 10,000, according to the utility company.

A downed tree on Ostrander Avenue south of Route 58 in Riverhead ripped down power lines and snapped a utility pole, knocking out service to homes and businesses in central Riverhead at about 8:30 Wednesday evening. Traffic signals along Route 58 east of the circle went dark. Police closed Ostrander Avenue to traffic as utility and Riverhead highway department crews worked to clear the roadway and repair the line.

Another fallen tree on Church and Phillips lanes in Aquebogue brought down power lines and caused an outage in the area. Riverhead highway crews responded to clear the roadway there as well, Riverhead Highway Superintendent George Woodson said.

Another crew was called to remove a downed limb on Sylvan Drive and Elizabeth Street in Wading River, Woodson said.

“In all, it wasn’t too bad considering the winds we had,” Woodson said this morning.

Winds out of the north-northeast blew at speeds in excess of 20 mph with gusts of more than 35 mph. Gusts of up to 45 mph were recorded by a weather station at Talmage Field in Baiting Hollow overnight. Gusts of up to 46 mph were recorded at Islip airport last night.

The power outages made for a busy night for local volunteer firefighters, with power interruptions setting off fire alarm systems. Riverhead Fire Department answered at least six calls, First Assistant Chief Kevin Brooks said this morning.

Yesterday afternoon at about 1 o’clock, winds took down primary wires on the Baiting Hollow hill on Sound Avenue. “They set the woods on fire,” Brooks said. “As soon as PSEG came and cut power to the lines, we were able to put the fire out,” he said.

Windy weather will continue throughout the day today and tonight, with winds of 2o to 25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph, according to the National Weather Service.