MA Storm: Thousands Without Power Amid Wind, Snow, Rain

ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS, MA — More than 17,000 homes and businesses were without power Monday morning as a strong winter storm whipped the state with wind, snow and rain, bringing down trees and power lines.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Authority estimated more than 17,200 homes and businesses were without electricity as of 11 a.m. Restoration estimates varied as the state remains under wind advisories until noon on the coast and 1 p.m. inland, with sustained winds of 25 mph to 35 mph and gusts of more than 50 mph possible.

On the coast, wind gusts of up to 66 mph have been reported, according to CBS4 in Boston. On Cape Cod, gusts of more than 40 mph were reported, including a 42 mph gust in Dennis and 44 in Orleans. Nantucket reported a gust of 52 mph, while Marshfield reported one of 61 mph and Rockport had a gust of 65 mph.

In addition to the heavy winds, snow blanketed the western part of the state, with nearly 7 inches reported as of 7 a.m. in parts of Worchester County and nearly 10 inches in parts of Franklin County as of 8:40 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Minor to moderate coastal flooding will continue to threaten the Rhode Island and Massachusetts coasts through the morning high tide, the weather service said.

"Do not drive through flooded roadways," the service warned in a tweet. "Please avoid pockets of coastal flooding by taking an alternate route to your destination."

Electric company officials said power restoration would begin repairing downed power lines as safety allows.

"Crews may not be able to work in buckets during periods of especially high wind," Eversource said on its website. The company said it had obtained more than 260 external distribution crews, as well as additional external staff to help respond to outages from the storm.