Rough Weather Hits Southern New England

Heavy rains and high winds are expected to continue through Monday in the Boston area. WCVB television meteorologist Harvey Leonard said as of Sunday morning, parts of southern New England had already an excess of three inches of rain. "We're going to have an additional inch or two at least over the next 24 to 36 hours." Leonard said.

Public safety officials are watching for localized flooding as streams and rivers rise. Wind and rain from the powerful storm could also cause beach erosion along the coast.

The high winds also caused problems for the area. Winds have gusted past 50 miles per hour along the coast and in Boston. There will be significant winds of 20 to 40 miles per hour in the Boston area through tomorrow. Early Sunday afternoon there were reports of more than seven thousand utility customers without power scattered throughout Massachusetts.

The storm caused problems throughout the entire Northeast. Strong winds downed trees and power lines throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The New York City area and southern New Jersey were among the hardest hit, with wind gusts of up to 67 mph recorded and power cut to a combined 335,000 customers.

Logan International Airport in Boston received nine overseas flights bound for New York because they no longer had the fuel to wait for clearance to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport, said Massport spokesman Matthew Brelis. Among the planes diverted because of heavy rain and high winds was the double-decker Airbus A-380, the biggest commercial passenger jet in the world.

In New York, ferry service to Staten Island was suspended Saturday night because of heavy winds.

Customers from Long Island to the northern suburbs of New York City were in the dark as utility company crews worked to restore power. Consolidated Edison reported more than 80,000 without power in New York City and parts of Westchester County by about 7:30 p.m., while Long Island Power Authority had about 85,000 customers without electricity.

In New Jersey, Public Service Electric & Gas reported more than 135,000 customers without power, and Atlantic City Electric said more than 35,000 of its customers were in the dark.

In Atlantic City, the horizontal arm of a boom crane collapsed at the Revel Casino construction site. Debris went flying and crashed through the driver's side window of a police cruiser, injuring Atlantic City police Officer Brian Hurley.

Hurley's injuries were not considered life-threatening, Capt. Bill McKnight said.

Two condominium complexes near the construction site were evacuated and several area roads were briefly closed. The winds also caused at least two homes to collapse and damaged other homes and buildings.

No other injuries were reported.