Wind Knocks Out Power to Thousands in NH: Alerts

CONCORD, NH — Many communities in New Hampshire are without power at this hour as high wind gusts have knocked down trees and utility poles in the central and southeastern parts of the state, according to alerts and outage maps online. Fire departments from Concord to the Seacoast are also battling small fires – and are having difficulty as the wind blows the fires in different directions.

About 12,000 customers are without power as of 9:20 a.m. on March 9, 2017.

Eversource is reporting about 9,000 out, more than 1,500 customers out in Merrimack, and nearly 700 customers out in Dunbarton and Mont Vernon each. Newfields is reporting more than 500 out. Amherst, Bedford, Goffstown, Hopkinton, and Weare, are all reporting less than 100 customers out.

Unitil is reporting more than 1,100 of its 77,000 customers out with most of those outages on the Seacoast: Exeter, Hampton, Kingston, and Sandown, are all reporting less than 100 each; Danville has more than 900 customers out. Hampton Firefighters reported wires down on Morrill Street earlier this morning.

1 of the Snapped poles on Carolan Ave. @Unitil has their work cut out for them! #HamptonNH #HamptonFire pic.twitter.com/swOP4d4DhT
— Hampton Firefighters (@HamptonNHFire) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/HamptonNHF... 9, 2017

Concord has around 30 customers out after a tree fell on wires on Snow Pond Road near Becky Lane. Another tree has been knocked down on Borough Road but no outages are being reported in that are at post time.

Large tree snapped poles and is across roadway. IAO 51 Carolan Ave. avoids area! #HamptonFire #HamptonNH pic.twitter.com/A0Vy466H3m
— Hampton Firefighters (@HamptonNHFire) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/HamptonNHF... 9, 2017

Liberty Utilities – which has around 43,000 utility customers in the state – is reporting outages in Pelham and Windham, to around 600 customers. The company noted on Twitter that residents should stay away from downed power lines.

Crews continue to make great progress w/ only ~460 customers without power in the #NHSeacoast. Track progress here: https://t.co/YI6Ua87mwe pic.twitter.com/KAYW14mM3P

The wind is also causing difficulties for firefighters. Concord Fire is currently along North State Street fighting a fire in the woods behind the Yellow Submarine Sub Shop. Exeter Fire and Rescue is tackling a brush fire between Exit 9 and Exit 10 on Route 101 as well as a tree on burning wires on Hampton Falls Road.

New Hampshire Patch will be updating this post throughout the day.