Wind gusts as high as 53 mph were reported in Concord, according to the National Weather Service, with similar gusts reported in Manchester and Nashua. Atop New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, a gust of 123 mph was recorded.
On Monday afternoon, more than 35,000 homes and businesses were without power in New Hampshire, with another 54,000 out in other parts of New England, especially Maine.
All the state’s electric utilities reported downlines lines throughout their service areas. New Hampshire Electric Cooperative said more than 5,000 customers were without power midday.
The powerful winds were preventing utility workers from using bucket trucks to restore power, said Kerri Theriault, Central Maine Power’s director of electric operations.
“We understand how frustrating it is to be without power, especially when customers are seeing blue skies outside their window. Safety is our top priority and we are not able to send our lineworkers up in buckets when winds are dangerously high, like what we are seeing today,” Theriault said.
The good news was that the strong winds were expected to be short-lived. The National Weather Service said calmer weather was expected by Monday evening.