NEW YORK- Weather experts predicted that many New England residents would wake up to poor weather conditions on Christmas morning, and reports from area news outlets confirm that such predictions were accurate.

According to ABC News 7, an overnight storm brought punishing winds into parts of New York and New Jersey on Christmas morning.

The news agency says New Jersey and the northern boroughs were hit particularly hard by the storm; at one point the area withstood winds so powerful that part of its Verrazzano Bridge had to be closed to traffic in both directions.

In Brooklyn, a tree came crashing down onto a parked car and damaged powerlines sent sparks flying onto the street in Boerum Hill.

Meanwhile in Queens, winds took out powerlines and left them burning, a dangerous situations for area residents. A local power company estimated that electricity would be restored later Friday morning.

In Rockland County, pictures from the Town of Ramapo Police Department showed trees down on a house and a car.

Authorities reported responding to multiple incidents of severe weather damage throughout the night. For this reason, they're warning residents to stay on the lower levels of their homes and away from exterior windows and walls if possible until the strong winds have passed.

And in New Jersey, video shows serious damage where the storm blew the roofs off several buildings.

At one point, there were more than 60,000 customers without power in New Jersey.