By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — Heavy rain and gusty winds hit the city with a one-two punch on Friday, as a storm wreaked havoc on travel plans and the daily commute.
Flights into and out of LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports were delayed, some by more than two hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Port Authority websites, as up to an inch of rain pounded down, meteorologists said.
Commuters trying to get to work Friday morning were met with a wet mess that would only get worse as the day progressed, according to forecasters.
"When I woke up this morning there was four inches of snow and I got really down," said Jeff Jayson, 59, who lives upstate near Woodstock and traveled into the city on Friday. "As I got toward the city it turned to rain. I don't know which is worse."
The National Weather Service issued an urban flood advisory for Manhattan and surrounding areas in effect until 11:30 a.m. as streets, underpasses and other low lying areas experienced minor flooding due to the rain.
The rain continued throughout much of the day and was joined by high wind gusts starting Friday afternoon. The weather service issued a high wind warning in effect from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. as some gusts could reach 60 miles per hour.
The heavy winds could bring down trees and power lines, push around vehicles and blow over unsecured items like trash cans, the service warned. The Office of Emergency Management asked New Yorkers to secure loose objects or bring them inside.
The rain and winds were accompanied by milder temperatures and a high of 53 degrees, according to AccuWeather.
But behind the storm system, which stretched along the entire East coast on Friday, colder air would move in, meteorologists said.
Saturday will be partly cloudy and cool with highs in the upper 30s and Sunday could see morning snow showers before warming into the mid 40s.
