Hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents are without power Monday morning after a storm battered the state with strong winds and yesterday and into the early morning.
As of 6:45 a.m. Monday, there were about 304,000 power outages across the state, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). By 9:15 a.m., that number reached more than 316,000 outages, and included areas like Hingham, Andover and Topsfield.
Early Monday morning, areas on Cape Cod saw peak wind gusts between 72 and 82 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service Boston.
The winds and rain are on the way out though, according to NWS meteorologists. Precipitation will end mid-morning and the flash flood warning for the region also expired Monday morning, they said. Winds won’t be as strong as they were earlier, officials said, but could still reach 40 to 50 miles per hour.
[720am] Here are the peak wind gusts from the past 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/bAih8Q20WY
— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) October 30, 2017
Drivers have been cautioned about flooding on some roads in Milton, Lexington and Haverhill early Monday morning, and the MBTA warned commuters that service, especially on the commuter rail, may be affected by the rain.
Heavy rain and winds may impact service today. Please check T-Alerts for updates before travel. https://t.co/Q9I0BLYgXh
— MBTA Commuter Rail (@MBTA_CR) October 30, 2017
Service alerts for the commuter rail detailed delays on 12 lines, including the Framingham/Worcester line, the Fairmount Line and the Needham line, due to “heavy rain, winds, downed trees and power outages throughout the area.” Crews are working to clear the tracks. Monitor updates here or by following @MBTA_CR on Twitter.
MEMA also issued warnings to residents to avoid downed power lines and to call 9-1-1 to report downed wires. However, don’t call 9-1-1 to report a power outage, the agency said — instead, call your utility provider. More power outage safety tips can be found here.
