270K Without Power: Bay State Bomb Cyclone Nor'easter Update

The hats of newscasters are flying off down the street while they try to deliver a report, and poles are hitting the pavement and (in some cases) homes. The lights are out in many homes. Basements are flooding.

Such is the windy, rainy Nor'easter that is pretty much playing out as predicted by meteorologists.

At just before 5:30 p.m. on March 2, 2018, in the midst of Winter Storm Riley, there were about 175,000 customers without power in the eastern part of Massachusetts. Eversource reported nearly 44,000 customers without power with more than 6,000 in both Middlesex and Essex counties. Melrose and Malden neared 3,000 in the dark.

National Grid, at the same time, reported more than 130,000 without power, including more than 47,000 in Bristol County and more than 12,000 in Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex counties. Worcester National Grid customers are 8,303 without by 5 p.m. More than 36,000 Plymouth County customers were without power.

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Winds surpassed 50 mph in the Boston area as early as 5:30 a.m. Friday morning and are projected to top 70 mph in the southeastern part of the state. The National Weather Service forecasts about 4 to 6 inches of rain in Plymouth County, Cape Cod and the Islands, and flooding is bearing down on some coastal areas.

The storm has forced the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights in and out of Logan Airport.

Duxbury and Scituate ordered a voluntary evacuation of coastal residences in flood-prone regions Thursday afternoon. Flooding has already begun in Boston's Seaport neighborhood, where officials took steps Friday morning to avoid a repeat of the Jan. 4 storm that turned many roadways into rivers.

Falling trees proved hazardous in Woburn, where a woman was injured when she was hit by a falling tree, and Tewksbury, where the driver of a Jeep was hospitalized after it was hit by a tree. In Eastern Massachusetts, the strongest winds are expected Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. The rain is expected to continue through early Sunday.

In Sudbury, seven roads were closed due to flooding, creating detours throughout the town.

"Despite our best effort to restore service between BOS and WAS today," Amtrak determined it is not safe to do so. Hazardous conditions led Amtrak to cancel all Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor until Saturday.

The water is rising in the @NorthEndBoston. Not looking good for these homes at Union Wharf. @universalhub pic.twitter.com/RA7FVcSX7F
— Rhiannon D'Angelo (@rabbitholerhi) March 2, 2018

Due to a tidal surge, the MBTA canceled the last round trip on both the Newburyport and Rockport lines. The MBTA canceled ferry service for Friday and will run additional trains on the Commuter Rail Green Bush Line for riders who normally take the ferry.

Alex Newman, Patch staff, contributed to this report.

Photo via National Weather Service/Twitter