Hurricane force winds off Seacoast, followed by 'flash freeze' in pre-Christmas storm
Power outages, heavy rain, hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding were hitting the Seacoast New Hampshire and southern Maine Friday. At the same time, the region was also bracing for a "flash freeze" expected to make travel treacherous the night before Christmas Eve.
Power outages hit tens of thousands of customers Friday morning in New Hampshire with winds expected to knock out power for more customers throughout the day.
Jon Palmer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said winds were expected to whip up to 75 mph along the coast in areas like Hampton and Rye in New Hampshire and along the Maine coast north to Portland and beyond. He said the winds will be only "a little weaker if you head toward (inland areas like) Rochester and Epping."
High tides and winds at NH, Maine coast
The storm is coinciding with an astronomical high tide and hurricane-force winds, according to the New Hampshire Department of Safety. The department stated Rockingham and Strafford counties are under a high wind warning through early Saturday morning with winds "expected to range from 25 mph to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph."
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"We're expecting pretty significant coastal flooding today with potentially record-breaking high tides," Palmer said. He said the tides were expected to be around 13 feet and possibly break Hampton Beach's Blizzard of 1978 record of 13.24 feet. He said conditions will be similar in Rye and along the Maine coast. Live video can be seen on the Hampton Beach web cams.
"The flash freeze is going to come after rain tapers off" in the early evening, Palmer said. "It will change the last little bit of rain to snow overnight."
The temperature is expected to drop from about 48 degrees early afternoon Friday in the Seacoast to the temperatures in the teens Saturday morning with a wind chill temperature of about 0 degrees. The same cold temperatures are expected Sunday on Christmas morning, too.
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"Wherever we had flooding or ponding on roads, that's going to all freeze over and make travel very dangerous (Friday night)," Palmer said.
What to expect for icy roads
John Storer, community services director in Dover, said crews are hoping to take advantage of a "window" of 2-4 hours after the rain ends, possibly beginning around 5 p.m., to treat the roads with a mixture of sand and salt. He said the rain "is not conducive" to using liquid road brine before the ice forms, because it would be washed away.
Storer said even after roads are treated tonight there "may still be isolated spots" of ice. "Motorists should be careful."
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What NH safety officials advise
“If you lose power, practice power outage safety to keep you and your family safe,” said Robert Buxton, Director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Never run a generator indoors. If you come across downed wires, stay away and call 9-1-1.”
New Hampshire power outage map:Check for outages in your area
Maine power outage map:Check for outages in your area
New Hampshire residents are advised by safety officials to report power outages every 24 hours until it is restored:
Eversource: 1-800-662-7764
Liberty Utilities: 1-855-349-9455
NH Electric Co-Op: 1-800-343-6432
Unitil:1-888-301-7700
More tips from New Hampshire safety officials:
· Visit ReadyNH.gov to learn more about keeping safe during emergencies.
· Stay informed by signing up for NH Alerts and monitoring National Weather Service radio or broadcast weather reports.
· Use flashlights, rather than candles, for emergency lighting.
· Do not use a gas range or oven as an alternate source of heat.
· Only use a generator that has been wired to the building electrical service by a professional electrician.
Cross Roads House shelter, Willand overnight emengency warming centers opening
The Cross Roads House homeless shelter at 600 Lafayette Road in Portsmouth announced its emergency overnight warming center is opening for the nights of Friday-Sunday, Dec. 23-25, from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day. Information: crossroadshouse.org.
The Willand Drive Warming Center at 30 Willand Drive in Somersworth is open the nights of Friday-Sunday, Dec. 23-25, from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day. The center serves Strafford County and is managed by SOS Recovery Community Organization for the cities of Dover, Somersworth and Rochester. For information, call 603-742-2709 or 603-969-1305 or message or visit the Warming Center of Strafford County Facebook page. To get text notifications, text ‘Willand’ to 855-970-3280 or sign up at sosrco.org/what-we-do/willand-warming.
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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast NH, ME: Hurricane force winds and power outages
