39°
Trees struck two houses in Hawthorne, as well as in:
- Glen Rock on Edgemont Road;
- Hackensack on Kansas Street;
- Franklin Lakes on Dakota Trail;
- Ho-Ho-Kus on Brookside Avenue.
They also downed utility lines in various towns, including Emerson, knocking out power to several thousand area customers, and in Allendale (Darlington Avenue and Upland Road), where wires caught fire.
Damage from downed trees and limbs were reported throughout the state.
The highest gusts -- nearly 50 miles an hour -- were reported near Cape May. Rainfall measured nearly two inches statewide and nearly three inches in West Milford.
The "bomb cyclone" ripped power from more than a half-million people in the Northeast, bout 20,000 of them in New Jersey, authorities said. Three-quarters of the NJ customers got their juice back by sunrise, they said.
There could be more trouble, however: Winds of up to 30 miles an hour with gusts of up to 65 mph were expected to continue into the Thursday evening rush, particularly in Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex and Union counties and at the Jersey Shore.
High wind warnings and advisories remained in effect until 6 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures on the partly-sunny Thursday were expected to hit the low 60s, though the winds make it feel colder. Thursday night temps drop to the low 50s, at best, forecasters said.
The winds should die down to 10 to 15 mph, with gusts around 25 mph, they said.
As happens with such storms, experts forecast sunny calm the following few days.
Boyd A. Loving took the photos and contributed to this account.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridgewood and receive free news updates.
