Lights coming on sooner than expected for many South Shore towns: Wednesday storm update

David R. Smith, The Patriot Ledger
Updated ·2 min read

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest number of power outages on the South Shore.

While power outages remain along the South Shore two days after Monday's storm, both Eversource and National Grid report continued progress in the towns they serve.

According to a 1:30 p.m. National Grid map Wednesday, Plymouth County has 2,970 customers without power, a drop from 4,595 at about 8 a.m.

Norfolk County reported 3,049 outages as of 8 a.m. That number has since dropped to 1,683. Restoration times have been moved up from 11 p.m. Thursday to noon.

Outage numbers in some towns have dropped from the thousands to hundreds since Tuesday, with hard-hit areas such as Scituate down to fewer than 200 customers.

Hanover, which was heavily impacted by the storm, is down to 138 continued outages as of Wednesday afternoon. Norwell has just over 1,000.

Fewer than 200 customers in Quincy remain without power. Weymouth is down to 59, and Braintree's light department didn't list any remaining outages.

The Sardini residence on Oak Street in Marshfield was heavily damaged by a large pine tree that fell during a storm Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Owners Tony and Kathleen escaped injury.
The Sardini residence on Oak Street in Marshfield was heavily damaged by a large pine tree that fell during a storm Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Owners Tony and Kathleen escaped injury.

Eversource customers have had a similar rapid drop in outages. Carver, whose outages reached nearly 3,000, was down to a few dozen Wednesday morning. Only 16 remained by 1:30 p.m.

Eversource expects to complete restoration for most customers by 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to a statement from the company.

The storm's high winds and heavy rainfall hit the South Shore hard Monday morning, toppling trees and cutting power to tens of thousands of people.

A Hingham man was killed when a tree fell on a trailer in Hanover, a mother and her infant were injured when a large branch fell on a car in Cohasset and a Hingham school was evacuated when a tree fell on the building. Some homes were heavily damaged. Schools and offices closed until power could be restored.

Wind gusts hit 90 mph at the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Scituate, other towns see power coming back on after storm outages