Thousands of Connecticut power outages reported as nor'easter slams region

The widespread power outages surged to more than 35,000 in Connecticut Saturday morning before fluctuating throughout the day.

As of midnight, there were more than 20,000 power outages across the state. Eversource, the state’s largest electricity provider, reported about 20,000 outages late Saturday night. The eastern Connecticut towns of Clinton (1,982 outages), Madison (1,457) and Old Lyme (1,030) were the most affected as of around midnight. United Illuminating, which serves the greater Bridgeport and New Haven areas, reported about 1,300 outages late Saturday. About half of the outages were reported in Milford.

In a news release Saturday evening, Eversource officials said line and tree crews were responding to outages and damage across the state. They said that power had been restored to approximately 43,000 customers statewide since the start of the storm. 

“As forecasted, this is a strong and long duration storm, and we have seen its intensity all day long with damage to the electric system and power outages in many communities across the state — especially on the shoreline and hill towns,” Don Scacco, Eversource’s president of Connecticut Electric Operations, said in a statement included in the news release. “Our crews in the field have done an excellent job in tough conditions, responding as quickly and safely as possible to address community priorities — such as blocked roads — while also making necessary repairs to the electric system and restoring power for customers. There is still a long way to go before this storm is over and our work is done, but this is what we train for, and we’ll stay on the job until every customer impacted by this storm has their power back.”  

Customers should stay clear of downed wires, including keeping pets away, and report them immediately to 911, Eversource officials said. They directed customers to report outages online at www.eversource.com, or by calling 800-286-2000. For customers who are without power and using a generator, they recommended that those customers ensure that the generator is located well away from their home or business and that the transfer switch is working properly. They added that customers should be cautious when doing their own storm clean-up, including by looking for any wires that might be entangled in debris while moving or cutting tree limbs. 

The storm’s coastal low is expected to linger, bringing rain and strong northerly winds through much of the weekend.

The National Weather Service said the storm could bring coastal flooding, rip currents, strong wind gusts and heavy rain to the region this weekend.