After a suffocating afternoon that pushed temperatures to near 90 degrees, Staten Island got hit hard Wednesday evening when a severe thunderstorm tore through the borough — bringing 60 mph wind gusts, downed trees, widespread power outages, a multi-vehicle crash that blocked the Outerbridge Crossing, and a suspension of Staten Island Railway service that stranded commuters on the island’s southern shore.
The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Richmond County as the storm pushed through, warning residents of wind gusts capable of knocking down trees and power lines. What followed was a cascade of infrastructure failures across one of New York City’s most car-dependent boroughs — a place with few transit alternatives when the roads and rail go down simultaneously.
Staten Island Railway Suspended: Tree on the Tracks Near Annadale
At approximately 7:45 PM, the MTA announced that Staten Island Railway service was suspended between Prince’s Bay and New Dorp after a tree fell onto the tracks near Annadale Station. Workers were dispatched to remove the debris before service could resume.
The suspension hit riders hard. Unlike subway lines with parallel routes, the Staten Island Railway is a single-line system — there is no alternate service. Anyone south of New Dorp was effectively stranded, left to find ride-shares, taxis, or call friends and family in conditions where roads across the borough were simultaneously compromised by downed trees and crash activity.
The SIR serves some of Staten Island’s more residential southern neighborhoods, including Great Kills, Bay Terrace, Tottenville, and Prince’s Bay — areas that depend on the railway as a lifeline connection to the St. George Ferry Terminal and ultimately to Manhattan. On a Wednesday evening, returning commuters who had already endured the chaotic week following the LIRR strike (which ended just 36 hours ago) now faced yet another transit disruption.
There was no immediate ETA provided for service restoration as of the time of this report.
Outerbridge Crossing: Crash Blocks All Lanes
While the storm swept across the borough, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey issued an advisory that the Outerbridge Crossing had a multi-vehicle crash blocking all lanes. The Outerbridge, which spans the Arthur Kill between Staten Island and Perth Amboy, New Jersey, is one of just three fixed crossings between Staten Island and the mainland — and the primary route for those heading south toward the Jersey Shore or connecting to the Garden State Parkway.
With all lanes of the Outerbridge blocked, traffic was forced to either wait for clearance or reroute to the Goethals Bridge or Bayonne Bridge — both of which were also experiencing elevated traffic volumes due to the storm and a broader evening where infrastructure across the region was buckling.
The crash’s precise cause was not immediately available, but wet, slick roadways from the storm’s initial downpours — combined with reduced visibility and debris on roads — created textbook conditions for accidents. Wind gusts measured at 60 mph across the borough were capable of pushing vehicles, particularly high-profile trucks and SUVs, out of lane on exposed bridge spans.
If you are traveling between Staten Island and New Jersey tonight: check 511NJ or the Port Authority’s travel advisory page before using the Outerbridge Crossing. Conditions may still be dynamic.
Trees Down Across the Borough: Roads Blocked, Cars Crushed
Emergency crews responded to multiple tree-down incidents across Staten Island throughout the evening:
- Chess Loop, Richmond: A large tree blocked the entire roadway, requiring FDNY and DSNY response.
- Giffords Lane, Great Kills: Another downed tree blocked a residential street in the South Shore neighborhood.
- Clove Road and Forest Avenue, West Brighton: A tree fell on an unoccupied parked car at the intersection. No injuries were reported, but the car sustained significant damage.
- Forest Avenue: Overhead electrical wires were pulled down after a tree collapsed in front of a home, creating a dangerous downed-wire situation requiring Con Edison response and potential road closure.
Sixty-mile-per-hour winds can uproot shallow-rooted trees and snap major branches from otherwise healthy hardwoods. After a summer that has been unusually warm and wet — saturating soil and loosening root systems — conditions across Staten Island were ripe for widespread tree failures. Residents in affected areas are warned to remain indoors and stay away from any downed wires, which should be treated as live and potentially lethal until Con Edison crews can verify and de-energize them.
If you see a downed wire: Do not approach it. Do not drive over it. Call 911 immediately and then Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).
Power Outages: Hundreds Hit, Restoration Underway
Con Edison reported power outages scattered across multiple Staten Island neighborhoods as the storm swept through. Over 600 customers in Arden Heights lost power during the peak of the storm, with service restored to that cluster just after 8:00 PM.
However, as of Wednesday evening, outages continued in a ring of neighborhoods including:
- Mariners Harbor (North Shore)
- Graniteville (Mid-Island, near the Goethals)
- West Brighton (Mid-Island)
- Oakwood Heights (South Shore)
- New Springville (Mid-Island)
Restoration timing for remaining outages was not immediately provided. Con Edison crews were prioritizing downed-wire incidents first — which present active safety hazards — before restoring power to other affected areas.
Staten Island residents can track their outage status and report new outages at coned.com/en/check-if-there-is-an-outage or by calling 1-800-75-CONED.
The Bigger Picture: A Borough Already on Edge
Staten Island was not the only place getting hammered Wednesday evening — the same storm system swept across Brooklyn and Queens earlier, flooding the Long Island Expressway at 188th Street in Fresh Meadows, submerging streets in Bushwick and Jamaica, and ultimately pushing east toward Nassau and Suffolk Counties. But for Staten Island, the damage felt particularly acute given the borough’s limited transit and road infrastructure.
Unlike the other boroughs, Staten Island has:
- One ferry terminal connecting to Manhattan
- One rail line (the SIR) — now suspended
- Three bridge crossings to New Jersey — one of which (Outerbridge) was blocked by a crash
- No subway service whatsoever
When the ferry is running, the bridges are clear, and the SIR is operating, Staten Island’s connectivity is precarious but functional. When any of those fail simultaneously — as happened tonight — the borough’s 500,000+ residents are largely cut off.
This is not a new vulnerability. After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, after Superstorm Ida in 2021, and after every significant nor’easter, the same conversations resurface about Staten Island’s infrastructure fragility. But the conversations rarely result in meaningful redundancy improvements. Tonight, once again, the borough bore the consequences.
What You Need to Know Right Now
Staten Island Railway: Suspended between Prince’s Bay and New Dorp. Service restoration TBD. Check MTA alerts for updates.
Outerbridge Crossing: Crash blocking all lanes as of last report. Use Goethals Bridge or Bayonne Bridge as alternatives.
Power Outages: Check coned.com or call 1-800-75-CONED. Do NOT approach downed wires.
Downed Trees: Multiple road blockages across the borough. Drive cautiously, expect debris on roads, and avoid flooded underpasses or low-lying areas.
Emergency: 911. Non-emergency damage: 311.
The storm is expected to continue moving east, with weather impacts persisting into Thursday morning. Conditions on Staten Island may not fully normalize until daylight hours on Thursday when crews can fully assess and clear the damage.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as conditions change.
Related coverage: LaGuardia Airport Runway Closed — Sinkhole + Storm Compound Crisis | LIRR First Night Back From Strike Faces Severe Storm | Live Storm Damage Roundup: NYC and Long Island
Were You Injured?
If you or someone you know was injured in tonight’s storm — whether in a car accident caused by flooding, a slip and fall from downed debris, or property damage from infrastructure failure — you may have a legal claim. Under New York law, claims against a city or county for inadequate emergency response or infrastructure failure must be filed within 90 days under General Municipal Law §50-e. A free legal consultation with the firm offers free consultations for Long Island and NYC accident victims.
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