Story updated at 6 p.m.
WATCH ⇒Rick Gordon’s full report + snow totals as of midday Tuesday.
CONCORD, NH – As of 6 p.m., more than 70,000 residents remain without power across New Hampshire as the biggest winter storm of the season so far delivered heavy snow and rain to the region. Although the storm continues to move north, wind gusts of up to 55 mph are likely into Wednesday,
“As power outages start to climb, keep you and your family safe,” said Robert Buxton, Director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Never run a generator indoors. If you come across downed wires, stay away and call 9-1-1.”
Early evening updates from Eversource showed about 61,000 customers still without power, down from earlier estimates of 66,000. Unitil was reporting approximately 17,000 customers total are without power, 15,800 of whom are in Massachusetts where nearly two feet of wet, heavy snow has already fallen. NH Electric Co-op was reporting about 8,100 outages. and Liberty Utilities was reporting about 3,300 outages.
While another 4-6 inches of snow are possible, wind gusts of 50 mph are expected in all regions tonight, with higher gusts possible in coastal areas. With wet snow already on the trees, these gusts have the potential to create new outages on top of what is already expected to be a multi-day restoration effort.
“Once the storm has passed, we will be sending out damage assessors to see how much damage has been caused by the storm,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “Once we get information back from the field, we’ll get a clear picture what’s out there and will be able to calculate a global restoration time.”
Crews will continue to work with first responders to address public safety issues and to restore power where conditions allow during the overnight hours and into tomorrow. New outages remain possible so long as hazardous conditions persist.
So far only about 560 Manchester residents reported being without power (as of 6 p.m.)
Report power outages to your utility provider every 24 hours until it is restored:
- Eversource: 1-800-662-7764
- Liberty Utilities: 1-855-349-9455
- NH Electric Co-Op: 1-800-343-6432
- Unitil: 1-888-301-7700
Buxton makes the following safety recommendations:
- Stay informed by signing up for NH Alerts and monitoring National Weather Service radio or broadcast weather reports.
- Use flashlights, rather than candles, for emergency lighting.
- Do not use a gas range or oven as an alternate source of heat.
- Only use a generator that has been wired to the house electrical service by a professional electrician.
- Never run a generator inside a building or in an enclosed space and keep them 10 feet away from buildings with the exhaust pointed away.
Manchester Fire Department issued an update Tuesday afternoon reminding residents to stay home and off the roads as much as possible and included safety tips, including for those attempting to manually shovel the heavy wet snow.
There is a winter snow parking emergency in place for overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.
