Community Corner

Wild Winter Winds Expected Friday

Wind gusts of nearly 50 miles per hour could make conditions hazardous in North Andover.

North Andover residents are bracing themselves as strong winds are expected to whip through the region throughout Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for eastern Massachusetts Friday. A rainy and foggy morning is expected to give way to partly sunny skies in the afternoon, but don't let that fool you. That sunshine is also expected to be accompanied by winds of up to 25 miles per hour.

And Friday night could be worse, with temperatures dropping below freezing -- turning the wet, puddled roads into ice -- and wind gusts of up to almost 50 miles per hour.

Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Power Outages Possible

In response to the chaos that the region endured after the October storm, National Grid is preparing for the possibility of widespread power outages that may result from Friday's freezing temperatures and strong winds.

"To prepare, the company has additional crews available for deployment to key areas of its service territory," National Grid wrote in a statement Thursday afternoon. "It has trucks, equipment and other resources ready should any power outages occur and will continue to communicate its plans to communities and municipal officials throughout the region."

Find out what's happening in North Andoverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here are some tips from National Grid:

  • Have plenty of flashlights and a battery-operated radio handy.
  • If you or someone in your home depends on electronic life support equipment notify National Grid immediately by calling 1-800-322-3223.
  • Consider any downed wire you see to be live and dangerous. Contact National Grid if you see any fallen lines, trees touching wires or broken poles.
  • If you have a generator, install it outside to avoid deadly carbon monoxide.

National Grid will have liaisons available to be deployed to affected communities and enhanced GPS systems for service crews to improve communication should power outages happen. The company also says it will have more specific information on crew locations and restoration efforts.

 


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