BOSTON — A nor’easter that battered the East Coast with hurricane-force wind gusts has left about 500,000 people without power in Massachusetts and forced the closure of bridges, ferries and schools in the region Wednesday.
As of 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, nearly 500,000 people were without power in Massachusetts, according to PowerOutage.us. More than 86,000 were without power in Rhode Island, according to PowerOutage.us. Maine had about 15,000 outages, and Connecticut had about 11,000.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported the widespread power outages Wednesday morning as areas along the coast experienced wind gusts of 80-90 miles per hour.
The National Weather Service in Boston reported that travel is not recommended early this morning in southeast Massachusetts because of the hurricane-force wind gusts, numerous downed trees and power outages. The highest wind gust of the storm was recorded at 94 mph at a ferry dock on Martha’s Vineyard, it said. Winds are slowly diminishing throughout the day.
The body of a kayaker who went missing off Long Island was recovered near the Bronx after being spotted in the water by a helicopter search crew, Coast Guard officials said Tuesday. Laurence Broderick, 45, reportedly left Hempstead about 9 p.m. Monday, a few hours before heavy rain started falling in the region, and was headed to Mamaroneck. He was reported missing early Tuesday.
In Connecticut, power lines came down on a school bus headed to Middletown High School on Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported. Six students were on the bus, which continued its route after emergency responders removed the power lines.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority suspended its ferry service Wednesday. In Salem, which hosts one of the nation’s largest Halloween festivals through October, the town canceled ferry service to Boston, urging visitors to take a commuter train instead.
The early nor’easter arrives before many trees have shed their leaves for the winter, raising the risk for power outages as branches covered in wet, heavy leaves blow onto transmission lines. Eversource, a power company that serves much of New England, warned that widespread outages were possible through Wednesday.
In New Bedford, a COVID-19 testing operation closed early Tuesday because of the storm, and residents were urged to secure outdoor furniture and bring pets inside.
The storm disrupted travel plans for some, including Pat Clarke, of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
“When we heard about the weather, we changed our minds and thought we’d better get home,” Clarke told NBC Boston. “There will be a lot of wind, rain and streets flooded and trees down, so here we are.”
The storm disrupted some flights Tuesday, and federal officials warned about possible delays or cancellations.
The storm, which is expected to be felt as far north as Nova Scotia, drenched the mid-Atlantic earlier Tuesday, dropping nearly 5 inches of rain on parts of New Jersey. Strong winds were forecast for the area through Wednesday.
Rich Barak of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.
