Heavy Wet Snow Knocks Out Power to Many SouthCoast Homes

We are continuing to receive a number of calls about power outages across the SouthCoast on Monday. The outages were reported to Fun 107 overnight and throughout the morning.

In Mattapoisett, multiple reports of loud bangs were reported, likely caused by blown transformers and downed power lines. There are also a number of trees that have fallen and taken out power lines.

As afternoon approached, Marion became the epicenter of Eversource outages on the SouthCoast. However, there were still thousands without power on the Cape, including nearly 2,000 in Harwich alone. National Grid was also reporting outages in Freetown and Westport.

The cause of the outages appears to be slightly higher than expected snow totals combined with heavy, wet snow, the perfect kind of storm to drag down trees, branches, and power lines.

Why Heavy Wet Snow Causes Power Outages

Wet snow is much heavier than powdery snow, and it sticks to tree limbs and power lines. That extra weight can cause limbs to snap and trees to fall, bringing lines down with them and leading to widespread power outages.

While it is certainly frustrating and uncomfortable to be without power, and sometimes heat, on a frigid winter day, National Grid offered a reminder about estimated restoration times found on their website.

"Immediately after a storm, restoration times on National Grid’s Outage Central site may be listed as assessing conditions. That’s because safety hazards, such as trees, tree limbs, and downed wires, must be cleared away so that infrastructure damage can be assessed and restoration plans can be executed. It's normal for outage numbers and estimated restoration times to fluctuate. The numbers can go up and down as an ongoing storm causes new outages and or as we de energize lines to make conditions safe for repairs and restoration. Additionally, there could be new outages that occur that are separate from storm related outages."

What Should You Do If You See Downed Power Lines

It is also a good time to remind residents to stay away from downed power lines after a storm. Treat any downed wire as live, and report it immediately to National Grid, Eversource, or call 911.