A major spring storm has brought heavy snow, rain, and high winds to the Northeast, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power and causing at least two deaths. Some areas of northern New England reported well over a foot of snow, with some areas receiving close to 2 feet. Residents like Betty Tidd of Gilford, New Hampshire, lost power but remained comfortable thanks to backup battery systems and propane stoves. The cleanup effort began as snow showers lingered on Friday.
In Stowe, Vermont, 20 inches of snow was reported, while Gray, Maine reported 17.4 inches. The heavy snowfall made shoveling challenging for residents like Jay Carr in Marshfield, Vermont. The National Weather Service warned of continued snow showers over northern New York, New England, and the Appalachians in West Virginia through Saturday. Areas in the Green Mountains in Vermont and the Adirondacks in New York were at risk of avalanches, prompting warnings for outdoor enthusiasts to take precautions.
Utility crews in New England worked overnight to restore power and assess damage caused by downed poles and wires. At one point, nearly 700,000 customers were without electricity, with the majority in Maine and New Hampshire. Central Maine Power had restored power to over 120,000 customers by late Friday morning, but full restoration was expected to be a multi-day effort. Some customers were experiencing power outages for the second time in less than a week, following an ice storm last weekend.
The storm was described as the biggest April nor’easter to hit the region since 2020. Tragically, the storm led to two deaths, one in New York’s Westchester County where a tree fell on a vehicle, and another in Derry, New Hampshire, where a house fire sparked by an explosion caused fatalities. Despite the dangers, some New Englanders took the weather in stride, with one resident in Portland, Maine, enjoying cross-country skiing in the neighborhood. In West Virginia, flooding along the Ohio River was expected to continue into the weekend.
Preparations for the upcoming solar eclipse were underway in New Hampshire, with some towns in the northern part of the state set to be in the perfect position to witness a total eclipse. Despite the recent storm dumping a foot of snow in locations like Colebrook near the Canada border, plans for the eclipse were still on track. In West Virginia, volunteers worked to clean up a landslide at the Wheeling Mt. Zion cemetery following thunderstorms. The weather service continued to warn of avalanche dangers in backcountry areas and advised outdoor enthusiasts to take appropriate precautions.
