35,000 Connecticut Residents Lose Power Friday Due To Strong Storm: Town-By-Town Updates

A strong rain and windstorm has left nearly 35,000 Connecticut residents without power as of Friday night, according to the utilities.

At one point, more than 55,000 Connecticut residents were without power.

Eversource is reporting 34,758 power outages as of Friday night and these towns are reporting in excess of 1,000 outages: Chester, 1,323, East Haddam, 1,125, Guilford, 1,181, Haddam, 1,249, Killingly, 1,821, Killingworth, 1,121,

United Illuminating Co. is reporting 755 outages as of Friday night.

"Despite challenging conditions, our crews are making good progress—restoring power to more than 45K of our customers as strong winds continue to batter the state," Eversource officials said at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Hundreds of Eversource line and tree crews are working to make repairs to the electric system and restore power to customers after a powerful rain and wind storm caused widespread damage and power outages in communities around the state.

Despite strong winds expected to continue impacting the state throughout the afternoon – which are exacerbating difficult work conditions – crews will remain on the job until power to all affected customers is restored, company officials said in a news release.

“The high winds continue to bring down trees and tree limbs onto electric lines and equipment causing additional power outages across the state and also presenting significant challenges for our crews – in fact, a tree came down on one of our line trucks which reinforces how dangerous work conditions are,” said Eversource President of Connecticut Electric Operations Steve Sullivan. “While the safety of our men and women is always our top priority, our crews are dedicated and continue to work as quickly and safely as possible responding to community priorities such as blocked roads while working to clear damage and make necessary repairs to the electric system. We have additional outside crews on the way to assist with the restoration, and our team is committed to staying on the job around-the-clock until every customer has their power back on.”

Forecast details via WFSB 3 TV meteorologists:

"Today is a *First Alert Weather Day* as a potent cold front moves through, bringing heavy rain and gusty wind. The worst of the wind we’ve seen so far has been along the shoreline - including a 66mph wind gust in Groton!," said WFSB 3 TV meteorologists.

"The southerly wind we had this morning briefly brought much warmer air to the state as temperatures reach the mid and upper 50s. We broke high temperatures records in both Hartford and New Haven - reaching 56 and 58, respectively! As the front passes, the wind will shift and we’ll see a lull in the wind and rain. Wind will shift to the northwest, and temperatures will drop throughout the afternoon. By the evening, behind the cold front, wind gusts reach 30-40 mph. Isolated snow showers are possible this evening and tonight, but they do not appear to have much of an impact. Temperatures will fall down into the 20s late tonight, so anything that is still wet could freeze up. Untreated surfaces may become slick by dawn," said WFSB 3 TV meteorologists. (Read more at WFSB 3 TV).

Extended forecast details via the National Weather Service:

Today: Rain, mainly before 2pm. Patchy fog before noon. High near 59. Windy, with a south wind 18 to 26 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 26. West wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. West wind around 7 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. South wind 6 to 8 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

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Monday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Calm wind.

Tuesday: Rain and snow likely before 4pm, then a chance of rain between 4pm and 5pm, then a chance of rain and snow after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain and snow before 7pm, then a chance of rain between 7pm and 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25. Light northwest wind.

Christmas Day: A chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%.