Watch CBS News

130,000 Lose Power In Massachusetts As Severe Storms Bring Down Trees

BOSTON (CBS) - Tens of thousands of customers lost power as severe storms rolled into Massachusetts Monday afternoon, while many worked from home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Check: MEMA Power Outages Live Updates

More than 130,000 homes and businesses lost electricity as winds roared through towns at well above 40 miles per hour, bringing trees down onto power lines in several neighborhoods.

As of 11 p.m., 94,000 customers were still without power. National Grid said when conditions were deemed safe, crews would work through the night to restore power.

Eversource tweeted, "Restoration may take longer as we are operating under our #COVID19 pandemic plan and our employees continue to follow social distancing practices and other safety guidelines."

According to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Norton, Rehoboth, Sutton and Sturbridge were among the hardest hit.

In Medford, a tree limb crashed down on a passing car at Suffolk and Wayman streets. No one was hurt, firefighters said.

In Hanover, a large tree fell onto a house on Union Street. An 80-year-old woman was inside the home at the time and was uninjured.

Hanover tree
A tree fell onto a home on Union St in Hanover (Image credit Hanover FD)

Some people reported hearing a "roar" as the storms and strong wind gusts hit.

According to WBZ-TV meteorologist Terry Eliasen, that was the wind just above ground level, known as "low level jet."

"Winds will be roaring just above our heads all day, the fear of that wind being drawn down to ground level by some heavy downpours," he wrote on Twitter.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.