Wind Gusts Up to 60 MPH Could Knock Out Power Across the SouthCoast This Weekend

I feel like over the past several years, the SouthCoast has been lulled to sleep by false alarms dealing with weather. We'd hear about how we were going to get slammed by a major snowstorm, then very little would happen.

Since the Blizzard of '26, that pendulum has swung the other way. We've taken a step back towards the bread and milk culture.

That being said, we've been hearing about an impending coastal storm for this weekend, so we decided to bring on our weather expert to give us a heads up about what to expect.

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WPRI Pinpoint Weather 12 Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo said he expects this Nor'easter to bring heavy rain and damaging wind gusts to the SouthCoast starting Friday night and lingering around for most of the weekend.

How Strong Will the Wind Gusts Be?

Del Santo said the SouthCoast could see gusts of 50 to 60 miles an hour, especially right along Buzzards Bay and the Cape.

Del Santo was careful to note the forecast could still shift. Some computer models bring the storm center closer to the coast, south of Rhode Island, while others track it east of Cape Cod. "The track does make all the difference in the world," he said.

Why Power Outages Are a Real Concern

Asked whether those gusts could bring down power lines, Del Santo did not hesitate.

"Absolutely," he said. "Especially this time of year when we've got all the leaves on the trees, they act like sails and it makes it a little easier for tree limbs to come down, taking power lines with them.

You'll want to charge up your devices heading into this stormy weekend.