26k Lose Power In Rhode Island During Windy Storm

A powerful storm swept through Rhode Island on Monday, bringing heavy, driving rain and strong winds. More than 26,000 residents are without power across the state, and outages are expected to last until Tuesday evening, according to National Grid.

Outdoor coronavirus testing sites were closed across Rhode Island due to the inclement weather. All are expected to reopen Tuesday, with canceled appointments rescheduled for that day.

As of Monday evening, 26,399 residents were in the dark, according to the National Grid's Rhode Island outage reports. The most outages have been reported in Providence County, where more than 14,000 people have been affected. All counties currently have resoration estimates of 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts are expected to top out at 64 mph in Rhode Island.

Ahead of the storm, National Grid said the storm was a "Type Three" event, meaning outages could last as long as 72 hours. Additional line and forestry crews were called in the meet the demand and help with power restoration efforts. Many of the estimated restoration times currently listed say power should be back on by Monday evening.

Customers who lose power can report the outage online, call 1-800-465-1212 or text "out" to 64743. Check the status of an outage using

National Grid's interactive online map.