Thousands lose power in Massachusetts after wind gusts bring down trees, power lines

A storm in Massachusetts has left thousands without power after wind gusts brought down trees and power lines around the state. 

National Grid reported that more than 20,000 residents were without power for part of the day on Saturday. Eversource reported that over 11,000 customers have been affected.

Wind gusts hit up to 55 miles per hour in Boston, with peak gusts hitting 63 miles per hour in Cohasset. Around 229 flights were delayed at Logan Airport and 58 had been canceled. 

Woburn tree down

Several trees in Woburn blocked roads and ripped down power lines. The Woburn Police Department asked residents to avoid Wyman Street in the area of Park Drive and Watson Lane after a tree took down an entire utility pole and blocked all traffic. 

The road was shut down for several hours as crews worked to clean up and restore power to dozens of neighborhoods in the area.  

"It sounded like a big whoop and there was a huge fire in the middle of the road. We've had trees come down here before, but this is worse we've seen," Woburn resident Meghan Nelson said.

Strong winds also caused significant damage to Stefan Brankovic's home on Broadway in Stoneham. He said he was awoken early Saturday morning after getting home late from a work trip to a giant tree falling on his home. 

"I heard a loud noise and shaking of the house. I thought it was a car accident. I came outside and saw the tree fell," he said.  

The tree is on town property. Brankovic, who has lived here for 6 years, says he's asked to have it removed in the past.   

"We have several times where branches and parts of the tree fell and cut internet lines. They came and cut branches but didn't feel the tree needed to be cut. Now it's done," he said.  

Storm damage around Mass.

The gusts tore down trees and limbs, impacting service on several MBTA lines. A tree had fallen on the tracks of the Mattapan branch of the Red Line early Saturday morning and a tree limb blocked overhead wires on the D Branch of the Green Line into the afternoon. Service was disrupted for a few hours until crews were able to remove the debris.  

While in Hingham, police said they had received several calls about downed trees and wires. They asked that anyone who discovers a downed tree on power lines call 911 immediately. 

"Treat all downed wires as potentially live," Hingham Police said on social media.