A winter storm battered parts of New England on Saturday, bringing high winds and heavy snow that knocked out power to more than 200,000 customers across the region.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for much of New England. The storm was expected to wind down by Sunday evening, it said, but not before leaving about a foot of snow across most of the region, with as much as 18 inches in some areas.
“The combination of heavy snowfall rates and strong wind will lead to treacherous travel conditions, whiteout visibilities, and the potential for tree damage/power outages,” the Weather Service said on Saturday.
In Maine, more than 119,000 customers lost power on Saturday, according to the website PowerOutage. More than 42,000 customers lost power in Massachusetts and the same number in New Hampshire, and more than 5,000 in Connecticut were left in the dark.
Roberta Grady, a business consultant who lives in Hooksett, N.H., just north of Manchester, lost her power as she and her husband were cutting the base of their Christmas tree with an electric saw. “He blew a circuit” was her first thought, she said, before realizing that the loss of power was from the storm.
They have a generator, which they were using to power their heat and their refrigerator, as well as the television in their living room, where the cable was still working, she said in a phone interview on Saturday evening.
She said they were set to watch the movie “White Christmas,” a tradition while setting up the tree.
While her home had been spared any damage, she said a tree had fallen onto a friend’s shed.
“The snow is super heavy,” said Ms. Grady, who estimated that four inches of snow had fallen in Hooksett. It was so dense that it was causing bushes and tree limbs to droop. “It’s going to be a long night,” she said.
Christine Gagnon, a UPS driver in New Hampshire, got stuck in a cul-de-sac in Bedford, near Manchester, when a tree fell, blocking the exit. A resident appeared with a chain saw and was able to cut enough room for a car to get through.
“Thankfully I got out and delivered my last package and was done for the day,” Ms. Gagnon said in a text message.
The National Weather Service warned that strong winds could also bring high surf, coastal flooding and beach erosion to the New England coast.
