Thursday, 4:30 PM
Up to 22,000 still without power as wind and cold threaten more outages
(Janet Knott/Globe Staff)
Scott Goulet cut limbs off power lines this morning along Rockingham Road in Derry, N.H., where 8,500 people today were without power.
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
As many as 21,000 homes in southern New Hampshire and more in northern Massachusetts remained without electricity this evening as crews battled plummeting temperatures as they worked to restore power after Monday's ice storm.
A total of 145 two-person crews were working to reconnect downed power lines, which included 38 two-person teams that came to New Hampshire from Connecticut Light and Power and the Western Massachusetts Electric Company. Some of the crews planned to work through the night.
"The main challenge at this time is dealing with the sub-zero temperatures overnight and ridding the power lines of ice-draped trees," according to a statement from Public Service Company of New Hampshire, the state's largest electric utility with 475,000 customers. "There was little melting during the day and temperatures are not expected to rise much over the next 48 hours."
The damage in New Hampshire was concentrated in the southern and southwestern parts of the state, where a mix of sleet, snow, and freezing rain was coating roads, trees, and power lines with ice. At its peak today at 4 a.m., 38,000 customers were without power. That number was down to 22,000 at 5 p.m.
The storm hit Derry hardest, leaving 8,500 people still without electricity late this morning. About 7,000 homes were dark in the Keene area, while another 5,800 people near Amherst were still waiting for power.
In Massachusetts, about 4,400 National Grid Customers remained without power this morning in the Merrimack Valley and northern Worcester County, according to spokesman David Graves. Haverhill had the most people out of service with 1,300. National Grid also had about 500 customers near Salem, N.H., without power.
The weather also affected air travel, causing delays for airplanes to be deiced at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, and canceling some flights. Travelers arriving from warmer locations Monday had a rude welcome and had to chisel their way into cars that were coated with up to a half inch of ice.
In New Hampshire, it snowed in the North Country, leaving 8 inches in Dixville Notch, 6 inches in Columbia, 5 inches in Colebrook, and 2 inches in North Conway. Ski areas and northern businesses dependent on snowmobiling received some accumulation before the snow turned into sleet. Bretton Woods reported 3.5 inches, Waterville Valley and Cannon Mountain had 3 inches, and Attitash and Loon Mountain reported 2 inches.
"Mother Nature kind of came through for us," said Chris Ellms at Bretton Woods. "The temperatures are getting colder, we got a little snow yesterday (Sunday), get some more snow today, and skiing's pretty good."
Forecasters expect it to stay cold through Wednesday night before warming on Thursday.
Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.
