PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — As of 4:45 p.m. Sunday, less than 20 Rhode Island Energy customers and only about a hundred National Grid customers in Bristol County, Massachusetts, are without power after a massive storm hit Thursday night.
The storm brought downpours and strong wind gusts. Southeastern New England could see gusts between 30-40 mph in some communities.
The strong wind gusts wreaked havoc across the region, downing trees and power lines. The rain also led to some localized street flooding inland, prompting communities to shut down a number of roadways.
Temperatures dropped significantly Saturday, causing wet roadways to freeze over and become slick.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is warning everyone to drive cautiously and reduce their speed as roadways freeze.
“The high winds may assist in drying the roads, however, any roads that do not dry out prior to the temperature drop will become icy,” RIDOT said in a statement. “The department will continue to apply salt materials, but after nightfall and during very low temperatures, the salt will be less effective and drivers should expect to encounter black ice areas.”
RIDOT’s Matthew Ouellette said there were approximately 150 state trucks out treating the roadways and another 230 vendor trucks that were on standby.
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The storm caused some significant coastal flooding, with tidal gauges measuring water levels that haven’t been seen since Super Storm Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Bob in 1991.
The Block Island Ferry canceled all ferries on Friday due to adverse sea conditions.
The storm arrived on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, with millions of people nationwide hitting the roads and taking to the skies.
The storm prompted a number of districts to cancel school Friday, giving some students across the region the day off ahead of the holiday weekend.
Dozens of flights arriving and departing both T.F. Green International Airport and Logan International Airport have been either delayed or canceled since the storm first moved in.
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John Goodman, a spokesman for T.F. Green, said only about 20% of flights arriving later on Friday are “looking good at this time.”
Some major airlines have sent notices to travelers warning them to prepare for possible delays and cancellations. United, American, Delta and Southwest also offered to waive fees for people to change their flights.
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