Ah, not sure why you think winds out of the north are unusual for NY in the fall. NY's dominate winds have always been n-nw. Ne is little unusual, but it happens as we've had a few NE storms this yr. I always have setups for whatever wind is blowing. This wk has been mainly N winds, and it brought in the needed cold. It got them moving in the morning for once.
What I can't stand is the swirling winds, which happens too much in my area becasue of the hills, and valleys. Then it gets tough!