MA Weather: 30K Lose Power In Strong Storms

BOSTON — Nearly 30,000 customers were without power Friday night after thunderstorms and high winds swept through Massachusetts, part of a large storm system that pounded much of the Northeast.

As of 9:30 p.m., the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported outages all across the state, but data showed the northern and central parts of the state were hardest hit. More than 5,000 customers in Westford were without power, according to MEMA's outage map.

A National Weather Service report at 9:16 p.m. said wind gusts had reached 63 mph at Worcester Airport, 55 mph at Fitchburg Airport and 52 mph at Westover AFB in Hampden County.

As of 9:28 p.m., the weather service said, a line of severe thunderstorms stretched from eight miles southeast of Marblehead to near Scituate and from there to Wrentham, with winds gusting up to 60 mph.

A severe thunderstorm warning for much of the eastern part of the state was due to expire at 10 p.m. The overnight forecast called for continued rain and winds up to 20 mph, giving way to sunny skies Saturday, with a high near 60 degrees.