Nor’easter storm leaves 280,000 without power

At least 218,000 residences in Maine affected by outages due to heavy snow

More than 280,000 people were left without power in the US over the weekend, as the first nor'easter of the season dumped more than a foot of snow in New England.

Areas of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts recorded more than a foot of snow from Saturday to Sunday, as winds of 73mph were felt in Cape Cod, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

By Sunday morning, more than 280,000 homes in the region were without power, with 218,000 of those residences in Maine alone, according to PowerOutage.US.

On Sunday evening, Central Maine Power (CMP) said that 118,000 of its customers were still without power, as the storm continued to hit the region. By Monday morning, that figure had reduced to 88,000.

“This storm caused significant tree and limb damage as a result of heavy, wet snow and strong winds,” CMP executive chairman David Flanagan said in a statement on Sunday evening.

“Crews worked hard overnight to ensure conditions were made safe, and those efforts will continue throughout the day today. Facing more wind today, our crews will work as quickly as possible to restore power to our customers,” Mr Flanagan added.

All but a few of the 43,000 homes in Massachusetts that lost power over the weekend have had it restored, while around 8,000 residences in New Hampshire remained without power overnight on Monday morning.

NPR reported that it will take longer than normal for power to be restored to some areas due to complications related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A nor'easter is a heavy storm affecting the US East Coast that is made up of strong winds from the northeast of the country. They usually occur between October and April.

The NWS advised against travelling in the affected areas on Saturday and Sunday, as gusty winds and snow limited visibility on the roads.

While, the authorities in Connecticut urged those travelling to be careful, amid the ongoing storm.

“Troopers are responding to accidents all over the state. We ask motorists, if they can stay home please do. And if you have to go out please drive slow and ditch all distractions,” Connecticut state police tweeted over the weekend.

Multiple power lines fell across the region over the weekend, as the storm caused minor damage to affected areas.

CNN reported that crews will be working this week to restore the downed power lines and address damage from the storm.

New England residents were urged to continue exercising caution on Sunday evening by the NWS.

“Snow showers will linger over Northern New England through Tuesday,” its prediction centre said on Sunday evening.

The NWS added: “The snow will aid in producing hazardous driving conditions over the area.”