Thousands Lose Power On Long Island; Winds Gusting To 65 MPH

A high wind warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Friday for all of Long Island and power outages are already piling up. As of 2 p.m., PSEG Long Island says 5,641 of its customers have lost power.

The townships of North Hempstead and Islip have the highest number of outages. (See the outage map.)

West winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are likely through the afternoon, the National Weather Service says. The strongest winds are expected on the East End.

"Widespread power outages are expected," the wind warning says.

"We are closely monitoring this weather system and our crews are ready to respond safely and as quickly as possible," PSEG says on its Facebook page. "If you happen to lose power, report your outage by texting OUT to PSEGLI."