FLATBUSH — High winds up to 50 mph wreaked havoc across the city Thursday, felling a tree onto a Q train in Brooklyn and forcing the High Line to close a section to the public.
B and Q trains were back up and running with delays as of 1 p.m., more than four hours after a roughly 8-foot tree fell on top of a Coney Island-bound Q train at Cortelyou Road, according to the MTA.
#ServiceAlert: b/d B, Q trains service changes, due to a tree across the track at Cortelyou Rd. Details at https://t.co/vhZQ2kZ2vb
— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) March 2, 2017
Witnesses said the tree, which was on private property, appeared to knock down a nearby fence before toppling onto the uptown side of the train tracks.
“It seemed like the tree only fell onto the uptown B track, with just a little debris on the Q train,” witness Michele Travis, who was at the station at the time, said.
"The B train conductor ... flagged down the Q for help clearing the debris. But then they threw everything on the downtown B track. I have no idea why they thought that was a good idea.”
Crews were still working to get it off the tracks as of 11:30 a.m., the MTA said.
Straphangers were advised to take the B41 bus from Prospect Park for service to Church Avenue or Beverly Road as an alternative.
Riders can also take the R train to Fourth Avenue, then transfer to the F to 15th Street-Prospect Park. From there, the B68 bus was making regular B and Q stops to Kings Highway.
The National Weather Service issued a high-wind warning until 1 p.m. Thursday and was advising New Yorkers to be on the lookout for flying debris.
The wind Thursday morning also forced a section of the High Line to close.
Park update: Due to extremely high winds, the High Line is currently closed between Gansevoort and 14th Streets.
— High Line (@highlinenyc) March 2, 2017
About 546 Con Ed customers were without power around 11 a.m., officials said.
The Department of Buildings ordered crews to secure material and loose debris at construction sites and to cover electrical equipment.
The heavy winds will continue through Friday, when temperatures plunge into the 30s and bring up to a half-inch of snow before noon, forecasters said.
