On Wednesday morning, New England’s 600,000-plus customers were without power after a nor’easter brought down hurricane-force winds.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported widespread power outages Wednesday morning. Wind gusts of 80-90 mph were reported in areas along the coast, with more power outages being reported every hour.
At 4am, NBC Boston reports, there were 135,229 power outages throughout the state, but by 6.30am, the number of outages more than tripled to 407,535.
Massachusetts had 493 730 customers without power at 9.30am. Other New England states had 133,000 customers without power as of 7.30am.
The National Weather Service of Boston, however, warned of a dangerous situation’ southeast of I-95. Wednesday morning, they tweeted that winds were gusting to hurricane speeds in southeast Massachusetts, causing numerous trees to be blown away.
It warned that traveling to southeast Massachusetts is not recommended as there was a high wind warning in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
The alert was issued one day after the nor’easter caused widespread flooding in New York City and New Jersey. There were many rescues by emergency service crews.
The storm was just south of Nantucket Wednesday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Loconto told the New York Times, but was expected to move out to sea later in the day, with an additional one inch of rain possible before it moves ashore.
He said that this should result in a decrease of wind gusts. However, he noted that Boston could still experience gusts up to 55 mph and Cape Cod could see winds close to 65 mph.
He said, “It’s still quite dangerous across Cape Cod and at times in Boston,”
On Tuesday night, a powerful nor’easter swept through New England, causing many trees to be felled.
The storm brought hurricane force winds to Massachusetts’ coast communities. A large tree fell onto a Fairhaven pickup truck on Wednesday morning.
Traffic concerns were also caused by fallen trees, which blocked roads and caused congestion.
The National Weather Service advised residents not to travel Wednesday morning due to trees blocking roads and causing extensive damage to some cars.
Duxbury Fire Department tweeted Wednesday morning that 94% of the town was without power.
It stated that full restoration could take several days depending on the extent of damage to the area.
Hurricane-force winds were observed throughout the night in Massachusetts, but they slowed down on Wednesday
New England was hit with more than 600,000 power outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Edgartown, Cape Cod was home to winds that exceeded 90 miles per an hour
The National Weather Service tweeted that winds were blowing at hurricane speeds in southeast Massachusetts.
Wind gusts reached 90 mph at the height of the storm. One gust was recorded in Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, at 94 mph around 4.30am Wednesday.
According to ML Barron, who owns a weather station at Fairhaven in Massachusetts, the overnight winds also surpassed any records this season. Baron told the Times that if it had happened during winter, it could have been a blizzard that would have set the region back several weeks.
He stated that Massachusetts’ coastal areas saw the “damage and destruction hurricane-force winds can deliver”, and recalled how he heard two men from New Bedford call the Coast Guard to rescue them. They were aboard a boat that had been damaged and power lines were in their water.
Baron stated that they were trapped and couldn’t get out of the boat until rescuers brought them safely back to land.
Nearby, at New Bedford Regional Airport was a small plane that was lifted and thrown into the strong winds of the nor’easters.
Assistant airport manager Michael Crane told WPRI the Cessna’s engine had been removed for maintenance, causing the frame to be lighter than usual during the storm.
Strong winds gusting between 47-60 mph picked up the plane and tore the straps holding it down. The small plane was then thrown into the middle of a street between 5.30-6.30am.
Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Airport personnel were able lift the plane over a fence and secure it again.
A woman in West Barnstable had to be rescued after a tree fell on her car. The car ended on top of a power line and boats landed on the shores of Cohasset in Massachusetts.
According to WCVB 5, a media box at the Cohasset High School that overlooks the athletic field was also blown onto a roadway. Other schools in the vicinity were also closed due to the widespread power cuts.
Many trees also fell along the Massachusetts coast, causing power disruptions, blocking roads and extensive damage to houses and cars.
Several boats were damaged by the storm and landed on the ground in Cohasset Harbor.
Several people were trapped in boats during the storm, as the docks collapsed.
On Wednesday morning, you can see a boat atop rocks in Cohasset.
Strong winds knocked out a press box at the Cohasset High School
Strong winds also picked up a small plane to toss it back to the ground.
Most of the outages Wednesday morning, about 300,000, were reported in Barnstable and Plymouth counties, which cover Cape Cod and coastal areas south of Boston, according to NBC News.
All schools on the Cape have been closed, according to the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee, and the town of Duxbury’s Fire Department tweeted: ‘We are seeing major damage across town.’
The department tweeted photos showing downed trees destroying cars, trucks, and even houses in the vicinity.
It stated that 94% of the towns in Plymouth county were without power as of Wednesday morning and that it was reasonable to assume that full restoration could take several days.
“We are also assessing whether a warming center is necessary,” the department tweeted. The temperatures are expected remain in the low 50s Thursday and Friday.
The department also warned that winds will continue to be strong this afternoon and that coastal flooding is a concern.
According to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, parts of the Red Line service and Mattapan Trolley service were disrupted by downed trees in Boston. They also deployed replacement shuttle buses throughout Boston.
The Massachusetts Steamship Authority, which operates ferries from the mainland, to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket also stated that all services would be cancelled until further notice. It also warned people not attempt to get to its terminals, and advised them to stay off the ‘extremely hazardous’ roads.
The situation was worse in the water, with a Plymouth harbormaster stating that some boats had broken away from their moorings overnight.
As the worst of the storm approached, Adam Lurch, a fisherman, was seen fishing from Eastern Point on the Long Island Sound in Groton.
Gillie Rezendes, Artistic Autobody, pulls the fence which was blown onto Middle Street in Fairhaven (Massachusetts).
On Tuesday, a wave crashed into the Fairhaven, Massachusetts retaining wall.
To protect businesses on Holmes Street in Mystic (Conn.), sandbags were made.
On Wednesday morning, power lines fell on a bus that was heading to Middletown High School. There were no injuries. Six students were riding on the bus. It continued its journey after emergency responders removed power lines.
Wednesday morning, power went out to approximately 15,000 homes or businesses in the state.
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority also shut down the Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano Bridges early Wednesday morning due to wind gusts exceeding 70 mph. However, they reopened them quickly after that to most vehicles. School buses, however, were not permitted to cross.
The storm that flooded New York and New Jersey caused widespread flooding, and the damage was done just one day later.
New York City saw almost four inches of rain in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn over the course of 24 hours, NBC News reported, and widespread flooding in New Jersey forced several high-water rescues as rivers quickly reached their banks after the state received more than three inches by 7am, according to NJ.com.
In Union Beach, New Jersey alone, CNN reported, there had been over a dozen water rescues throughout the night.
Police Chief Michael J. Woodrow stated that no injuries were reported during the rescues, and that no one required any hospital care or first aid.
“Fortunately, our highly-trained officers are able reach traditionally inaccessible places with these vehicles, especially if time is of the essence,” he stated. He also noted that Hurricane Sandy and other meteorological events have influenced his playbook.
He said that the town had also received ‘countless” calls for service, and that multiple vehicles were submerged in water. State troopers reported that they responded to 188 accident calls and 81 motorist assistance calls.
According to the Times, Wednesday morning saw only 14,590 New Yorkers without power. Public transit ran smoothly and with few unplanned delays.