It's April, it's over 60 degrees (?!), and it's sunny, which means New Yorkers are once again spending a third of their paychecks on ice coffee. If you're enjoying one today, don't be surprised to find yourself sucking it down at a sharp angle, shoulders hunched into a bracing breeze.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for Brooklyn and Queens, forecasting gusts between 30 and 40 miles per hour this afternoon until 8:00 tonight.
The Department of Buildings is especially on guard, urging builders and contractors to make sure that every last scaffolding beam is secured, and every last spare hammer and oil can snapped away inside a tool box.
The DOB press release warns, somewhat cryptically, that while we can make educated guesses about when, and how hard, the wind will choose to whip us around, "the timeframe for the [wind] event might change unexpectedly." To secure a building, property owners "should take all precautionary measures including but not limited to the following":
- Bring inside loose, lightweight objects such as lawn furniture, potted plants, garbage cans, garden tools and toys.
- Anchor objects that would be unsafe outside, such as gas grills or propane tanks.
- Close up and secure patio umbrellas.
- Secure retractable awnings.
- Remove aerial antennas and satellite television dishes.
This is no joke, considering that just two weeks ago Tina Nguyen was struck and killed by a four-foot-by-eight-foot piece of plywood. Powerful gusts wrenched the board free from a security fence, across the street from where Nguyen was walking and talking on her cell phone.
Watch out for wildfires, too. And bring a sweater for later. And remember your contact lens solution if you're going to stay over at your friend Ricky's place!
