Hundreds of thousands of utility customers in parts of the Northeast were without power Wednesday after storms brought high winds and rain, downing trees and power lines.
National Grid, Eversource and Green Mountain Power are reporting power outages in eastern New York, western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut and southern Vermont due to storms moving through the region.
Intense wind and rain in downtown Albany right now under a severe thunderstorm warning pic.twitter.com/LpkY4L2xn1
— Ian Pickus (@IanPickus) October 7, 2020
Area emergency responders say there are a number of downed trees and power lines causing road closures.
From Pittsfield: the storm has caused "major safety hazards, including downed trees on power lines, is impacting travel throughout the city." City crews and Eversource are cleaning up obstructions. Large swaths of the city without power. @WAMCNews
— Josh Landes (@JoshLandesWAMC) October 7, 2020
Wind gusts of up to 68 mph were recorded at Albany International Airport.
In an announcement around 9:30 Wednesday, National Grid says "a field force is active across eastern New York removing downed wires, trees, tree limbs, broken poles and other hazards, focusing on public safety, assessing damage and restoring power to the more than 160,000 customers impacted by the ongoing, rain and wind storm. The dangerous wind conditions are expected to continue throughout the evening, bringing the potential for further power interruptions in the region."
National Grid says the hardest hit areas include Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Columbia and Montgomery counties. The utility says restoration times won't be known until the storm is over and a damagement assessment can be made.
During the storm, New York State Police say a man was killed whe a tree came down on his vehicle on Pierce Road in Clifton Park. Police say 24-year-old William Oates was pronounced dead at Saratoga Hospital.
In Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the head golf professional at a golf course was killed in the storm. The Berkshire Eagle reports Thomas Sullivan died when a tree fell onto his golf cart at the Wyantenuck Country Club just after 5:30 p.m. Sullivan was inducted into the Northeast PGA Hall of Fame in 2018.
