Thousands Of Rhode Islanders Lose Power Amid High Winds

More than 7,000 Rhode Islanders are without power on Friday afternoon amid high wind gusts.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 7,000 National Grid customers were without power, scattered across the state. Check the status of an outage using Nationals Grid's interactive power outage map.

The National Weather Service issued a wind warning for Washington and Newport Counties from 2 p.m. Friday until 10 p.m., while a wind advisory is in effect for the rest of the state. Gusts as high as 60 MPH are possible in coastal areas of the state.

"We are closely monitoring the weather across our regions today," National Grid wrote on Twitter. "We are prepared in the event the storm does damage to our networks and we want to ensure you are prepared, too. We recommend keeping mobile devices fully charged so you can stay connected in the event of an outage."

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority urged drivers to use caution on the Newport Pell Bridge, where a high wind advisory is in effect.

Several police departments and community groups reported downed trees blocking roads. Drivers are reminded to never drive under fallen trees or wires and to call the local police department or National Grid to report road hazards.