Heavy, Wet Snow Knocks Out Power For 73,000 In New Hampshire: Update

CONCORD, NH — Tens of thousands of Granite Staters are dealing with power outages after a storm dropped heavy, wet snow onto the state overnight.

Eversource, the state’s largest utility, reported more than 65,000 customers without power at 8 p.m. on Monday. The company reported outages of between 2,00 and 7,500 customers in Amherst, Bedford, and Merrimack, as well as Brookline, Dover, Durham, Rindge, and Rochester. Around 1,500 Milford customers were also without power, while around 1,100 were out in Manchester and Nashua. More minor outages were reported in western Hillsborough County and the Seacoast.

The New Hampshire Electric Co-Op reported 4,600 customers without power, including nearly 800 in Sandown, 750 in Nottingham, around 700 in Chester, and more than 600 in Lee. Most outages were fewer than 500 customers in the Lakes Region and North Country.

Unitil at 5:30 p.m. reported around 3,300 customers without power, including more than 500 in Bow, around 400 in Epsom, and nearly 250 in Concord, and smaller outages in Allenstown, Hooksett, and Loudon. Nearly 700 customers are out in Plaistow, while nearly 400 are out in Exeter and Stratham. Smaller outages were reported in several Seacoast communities. Restoration times are between "assessing" and 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Liberty Utilities reported around 25 customers without power.

Eversource said the company had hundreds of line workers cutting trees and repairing downed lines on Monday.

A downed line in Merrimack. Credit: Eversource

The heavy snow brought down limbs and trees all around the state. The company expected the strong winds, forecast for later in the day Monday, would lead to more outages.

“On top of the snow buildup and weakened trees from other recent storms, the winter storm hitting New England is bringing trees and limbs down onto the electric system and causing significant damage in nearly every region of the state,” Eversource President of Electric Operations in New Hampshire Doug Foley said. “With more heavy, wet snow in the forecast and breezy conditions picking up through the day, further damage and outages are likely, and we thank our customers for their patience as driving conditions remain challenging for our crews. We’re bringing in additional resources and crews – including from Massachusetts and Connecticut – to support our restoration effort, and our dedicated employees will not stop working until every customer who loses power is restored.”

The company said more crew members from Connecticut and Massachusetts are coming to New Hampshire to assist with power restoration. During the past 12 hours, 50,000 power customers have been restored, the company said.

Unitil said, due to the compounding nature of this evening’s forecasted snow plus additional wet, heavy snow forecasted later in the week, the company had "secured additional crews from Canada to assist with restoration efforts as the week progresses and snow continues to fall."

Robert Buxton, the director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, warned residents to practice safety when using generators — never operate them indoors, and to report down wires to 911.

Several accidents have been reported around the state.

On Juniper Ridge Road in Henniker, a tree fell on a house.

Weather Update

Snow and freezing rain was expected to continue throughout the day and evening in New Hampshire.

About an inch per hour fell on the state during the overnight hours. The wet and sticky snow clinging to trees and branches, knocking out power around the state.

A northwest wind was expected to deliver gusts of as much as 40 mph through the evening.

The National Weather Service has an active hazardous weather outlook through 10 p.m. on Monday.

More snow was expected on Wednesday.

Report Power Outages

To contact your utility provider, call these numbers, 24 hours a day:

• Eversource: 1-800-662-7764
• Liberty Utilities: 1-855-349-9455
• NH Electric Co-Op: 1-800-343-6432
• Unitil: 1-888-301-7700

Stay Safe

Buxton makes the following safety recommendations:

• Stay informed by signing up for NH Alerts and monitoring National Weather Service radio or broadcast weather reports.
• Drivers should use extra caution, go slow, and be alert for crews clearing debris.
• Use flashlights, rather than candles, for emergency lighting.
• Do not use a gas range or oven as an alternate heat source.
• Only use a generator wired to the house's electrical service by a professional electrician.
• Never run a generator inside a building or in an enclosed space, and keep them 10 feet away from buildings with exhausts pointed away.

Learn more about power outage safety at ReadyNH.gov.

Click refresh for updates throughout the day.

The latest weather conditions can be found on the front page of every Patch.com site in the United States, including the 14 New Hampshire Patch news and community websites covering Amherst, Bedford, Concord, Exeter, Hampton, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, North Hampton, Portsmouth, Salem, Windham, and Across NH. Local weather reports for New Hampshire are posted on Sundays and Thursdays. Alerts are published when needed.

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