Update: 60,000 New Hampshire Electricity Customers Still Without Power

CONCORD, NH — Around 60,000 New Hampshire residents were still without power on Wednesday after 1 to 3 feet of heavy and wet snow fell on the state Monday and Tuesday.

The mid-March nor'easter, which delivered heavier snowfall accumulations than expected in some places, knocked out power across the state and caused accidents and trees and limbs to fall onto wires and roads.

According to the National Weather Service spotters, more than 2 feet of snow fell in Jaffrey and Peterborough — which received between 29 and 35 inches of snow. Trained spotters and others in Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Greenville, New Ipswich, and Windsor reported between 24 and 33 inches of snow.

New London received 24 inches, while other locations in Merrimack County, including Bow, Chichester, Concord, Henniker, and Hookett, received between 10 and 19 inches.

Rockingham County locations, which were not supposed to receive very much snow, received between 6 and 20 inches of snow. Exeter received 6 inches, while Salem received 7 to 8 in places. A spotter in Epping reported 12 inches, while one in Derry reported 19.

In the North Country, Pinkham Notch recorded 32 inches of snow.

State officials warned residents that power outages were expected to continue to wind gusts of up to 55 mph on Wednesday and to play it safe.

“Storm-related threats, such as downed power lines and debris, pose a danger,” said HSEM Director Robert Buxton. “If you come across downed wires, stay away and call 9-1-1. Give cleanup crews plenty of space and never go around or move roadway barriers. You could put your life or the lives of others in danger.”

Updated: Noon on March 15

Eversource, the state’s largest utility, reported around 54,000 customers without electricity.

The outages were spread around the state, but the largest, between 500 and 3,500, were reported in Antrim, Amherst, Bedford, Derry, Dunbarton, Henniker, Hopkinton, Hooksett, Hudson, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, New Boston, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Rindge, Weare, and Windham.

The company, which has more than 800 lineworkers, including from Canada, trying to restore power, said they would be working through the day and evening to restore power.

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Around 3,900 New Hampshire Electric Coop customers were reportedly without power, with most, around the Lakes Region, reporting between 100 and 700 outages per community.

Liberty Utilities reported around 1,00 customers without power, mainly in the Upper Valley. Fewer than 200 were out in Pelham, Salem, and Windham.

Unitil reported about 2,100 customers without power in the capital region and the Seacoast.

The company expected to have most of its Granite State customers back online by Wednesday afternoon — although restoration times for customers in Boscawen and Bow were still being assessed.

More than 33,000 of its customers were affected by the storm. The company was keeping its command center open during its restoration efforts.

“The mobile command center is a key asset that will play a critical role as our crews work to restore power to all of our impacted customers," Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. "Since many functions can be handled directly from the new mobile unit, this will really help to improve efficiency and reduce the time that it takes to receive and process information from the field."

Buxton also made the following safety recommendations:

• Stay informed by signing up for NH Alerts and monitoring National Weather Service radio or broadcast weather reports.
• Find the latest road conditions at newengland511.org.
• Slow down and move over for emergency vehicles and never crowd the plow.
• Before traveling, clear all snow and ice off your car, roof, around lights, and license plates.
• Bridges, overpasses, and exposed road areas are the most prone to slippery conditions.
• Plan two ways out of your home in case of an emergency.
• Clear the driveway and front walk from ice and snow. This will provide easy access to your home.
• Only use a generator wired to the building's electrical service by a professional electrician.
• Do not run a generator in the garage, even if the door is open, because carbon monoxide can still build up to hazardous levels very quickly.
• Make sure your house number can be seen from the street. If you need help, emergency responders will be able to find you.
• Be ready if the heat stops working. Use extra layers of clothes and blankets to stay warm. If you use an emergency heat source, keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away.
• Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room. Also, turn them off when you go to bed.
• Use flashlights, rather than candles, for emergency lighting.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed when you lose power. An unopened refrigerator will keep cold for 4 hours and a full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours. For food safety tips visit USDA.gov.
• Check on neighbors and others who may need help.

Learn more about power outage safety at ReadyNH.gov.

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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