Power slow to return in parts of region

Telegram & Gazette Staff
·2 min read
As Diane Drumm unburies her car, her son, Chris, clears her Pleasant Street driveway in Paxton with a snowblower Wednesday.
As Diane Drumm unburies her car, her son, Chris, clears her Pleasant Street driveway in Paxton with a snowblower Wednesday.

The dawn-to-dusk storm that hit the region Tuesday left many residents of northern Central Massachusetts in the dark for much of the next day.

Utility and tree crews spent Wednesday tackling problems in Gardner, Winchendon, Ashby and nearby towns, as widespread power outages continued after the storm subsided, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

In Ashby, residents looking to keep warm or charge their phones were invited to spend time at the public safety building. Unitil, the town's electric supplier, set up a mobile command center at the building. Ashby registered 30 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Westminster also opened its public safety building to residents.

Tree crew foreman Seth Galentine cuts a fallen tree from a National Grid power line on South Ashburnham Road in Westminster Tuesday. Levi Wilson watches from the ground. The two-man crew from Davey Tree traveled from Michigan for the storm.
Tree crew foreman Seth Galentine cuts a fallen tree from a National Grid power line on South Ashburnham Road in Westminster Tuesday. Levi Wilson watches from the ground. The two-man crew from Davey Tree traveled from Michigan for the storm.

Nearly half of Hubbardston was without power at one point during the storm, according to Police Chief Ryan Couture.

"We had extra patrol officers on to respond to calls for service, if needed," Couture said. "We were fortunate enough that we were not needed at residences for emergencies. There were no vehicle crashes that were reported to us."

In Worcester, the National Weather Service reported 14.4 inches of snow.

Tree crew foreman Seth Galentine cuts a fallen tree from a National Grid power line on South Ashburnham Road in Westminster Tuesday. The two-man crew from Davey Tree traveled from Michigan for the storm.
Tree crew foreman Seth Galentine cuts a fallen tree from a National Grid power line on South Ashburnham Road in Westminster Tuesday. The two-man crew from Davey Tree traveled from Michigan for the storm.

School in Worcester was delayed for two hours Wednesday. The parking ban was lifted at dawn.

Snow totals were heavier in the northern part of Worcester County. As of Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service reported that 32 inches of snow had fallen in Ashburnhan, 31.5 inches in Royalston, 29.5 inches in Hubbardston, 29.3 inches in Princeton, 27.5 inches in Paxton, 25.5 inches Lunenburg, 24.5 inches in Sterling, 24 inches in Gardner, 23 inches in Westminster, Templeton and Leominster, 19.4 inches in Fitchburg, 19 inches in Holden and Phillipston, 13.7 inches in Leicester, 8.5 inches in Auburn, 5.2 inches in Westborough, 4.5 inches in Grafton and 4 inches in Spencer.

A lineman works on power lines on Mill Glen Road in Winchendon near the Gardner town line Wednesday.
A lineman works on power lines on Mill Glen Road in Winchendon near the Gardner town line Wednesday.

With heavy winds Wednesday, officials were wary of downed limbs creating more power troubles.

Reporter Stephen Landry of The Gardner News contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: In the dark: Power slow to return in parts of region