Wind gusts of up to 70 mph from Hurricane Sandy that were predicted to pummel St. Lawrence County yesterday prompted schools to close and states of emergency to be declared, but actual wind readings showed the gusts never reached the anticipated speeds.

Readings from the Ogdensburg and Potsdam airports showed the winds were only about half as strong as estimated by weather reports.

At Potsdam Municipal Airport, also known as Damon Field, the highest sustained winds recorded were at 25 knots, or about 28 mph, at about 6:30 p.m. The highest gusts were at 36 knots, or about 41 mph, around 8 p.m.

Ogdensburg saw similar readings. At Ogdensburg International Airport, gusts were reported as high as 37 knots (42 mph) at about 8:30 p.m. and again about an hour later. The highest sustained winds were 27 knots (31 mph) at several points during the evening.

A high wind advisory remains in effect this afternoon. Wind gusts as high as 46 mph are expected to fade this evening.

The advisory ends at 5 p.m.