Isaias Hits NY Area: 2.5 Million Lose Power and One Is Killed

“It was a sad day for Gramercy Park,” Mr. Flores said.

Later, around 10 p.m., Rosie Iannotta’s windows offered rare bursts of light on 204th Street in Auburndale, Queens, thanks to a generator she had bought after enduring Sandy and other, earlier storms.

Ms. Iannotta, a retired teacher, said a power surge had melted the electrical lines on her block at 1:44 p.m., a terrifying event that she filmed with her phone.

“I was freaking out,” she said. Luckily, she added, no one was hurt. “I’m just glad that everyone was safe.”

As expected, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority also felt the storm’s impact, with some aboveground subway service, the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road suspended temporarily. Service on the Staten Island Ferry was also suspended. At least 55 flights were canceled at Kennedy International Airport, and at least 78 were canceled at La Guardia Airport.

Sarah Feinberg, the transit authority’s interim president, said at an afternoon briefing that she was not sure when full subway service would resume. “As soon as the trees and debris are removed, we’ll obviously be back to full service,” she said.

By late afternoon, the rains brought by the storm had mostly passed through the city, but the stiff winds continued, creating an odd juxtaposition with the suddenly sunny skies. To the south, Patrick O’Hara, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the agency was tracking reports of at least two tornadoes: one in Strathmere, in South Jersey, and another near Dover, Del.