Storm Watch: Heavy Wet Snow Could Accumulate to 10 Inches

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch and hazardous weather outlook for this weekend.

The National Weather Service is predicting between 6-10 inches of "heavy, wet" snow accumulation late Saturday night through Sunday morning, and issued a winter storm watch and hazardous weather outlook for the Northborough area. The snow will hit the region on Saturday afternoon, with the heaviest occurring at night and into Sunday morning, according to the NWS. A 1-2 inch per hour snowfall rate is possible, and the potential exists for a heavy snow that may down trees and create scattered power outages. Jim Arnold, weather specialist with the Shrewsbury Emergency Agency, said that the "inland areas of Massachusetts will be walking a temperature tightrope, with as little as one degree making all the difference in the precipitation type …

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UPDATE: Ice Storm Knocks Out Power to More than 200

National Grid is working to restore power.

Update (2:55 p.m.): National Grid reported that a portion of a tree came down on Lincoln Street at approximately 1:15 p.m., taking down a power line. The incident knocked out power to about 220 customers. National Grid expect to have the power restored by 3:30 p.m. "We have a crew out there working on it now," said David Graves, spokesperson for National Grid.  Original post: It is rather rare that Northborough escapes a storm without any power outages, residents will tell you. On Monday, schools had a two hour delay, and residents were reporting power outages around town. Karen Lavoie reported that power went out at 1:13 p.m. on Leland Ave. and is "still off" (at 2:15 p.m.), adding that National Grid is repairing a downed wire on Lincoln …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

National Grid Says It's Ready, But Is Northborough Confident?

Northborough residents have an impression that their power is restored much slower than other surrounding towns. Is it true?

National Grid is ready to respond to any power outages that may occur as a result of the high winds, heavy rain, and even some heavy wet snow from a nor’easter that will affect Massachusetts and Rhode Island today and overnight tonight, the company stated in a press release issued on Wednesday. It added that "more than 500 National Grid and supplemental line and tree crews are available and ready to respond quickly to any storm-related outages, along with more than 200 'wires-down' personnel. With the first snowflakes headed our way, and off the heels of yet another power-knocking storm two weeks ago by the name of Sandy, Northborough residents are concerned with the response of the town's utility company.  Selectman Leslie Rutan expressed…

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By the Numbers

UPDATED: Power Restored to Many; 674 Still Without

National Grid works around the clock to bring all the power back to Northborough.

While customers still without power are undoubtedly frustrated, National Grid has restored a large portion of homes originally hit by the outage during Hurricane Sandy. The number at 10 a.m. on Wednesday sits at 674 still withouth. National Grid serves 6,559 Northborough customers. Debbie Drew, spokesperson for National Grid, said crews are out in full force working on restoration. Remaining areas without service are concentrated south of Route 20 near the Northborough border, and also close to Route 9. There are two "feeder lines" presenting trouble, said Drew, and one has approximately 500 customers on it; the other has about 100. "When one feeder gets picked up, that chunk of 500 will come back," said Drew. "That's how it will work." At…

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Sandy Power Outages Jump to 88 Percent; Restoration Time Unknown

Overnight, power outages jumped from 31 percent to 88 percent in Northborough, according to National Grid.

She may have been downgraded to a tropical storm, but Sandy was once a hurricane, and was so when she barreled through Northborough on Monday, Oct. 29. As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the National Grid outage map, thousands were still without power. By noon on Tuesday, 5,800 customers are without power, according to National Grid Spokesperson Charlotte McCormack. With 6,559 total customers in town, that represents 88 percent of the customer base. "I don’t know what the cause is," said McCormack, when asked about the increase in outages since yesterday. "Obviously something happened overnight."  McCormack said assessment and restoration crews are in town, and in some cases both assessing and restoring power at the same time. She …

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National Grid Continues to Prepare, Offers Text Alert for Storm

Sandy's got everyone, including the local utility company, on its toes.

Submitted by National Grid As Hurricane Sandy continues to track northward, National Grid continues preparing in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for potential high winds, torrential rains and flooding in low-lying areas. “We have been urging customers to take precautions and prepare for the worst case  scenario,” said Kathy Lyford, National Grid New England vice president of Operations. ”Customers should prepare for the possibility of extended power outages. If there is extensive flooding along the New England coast, there also could be natural gas service interruptions.” Weather forecasters are now saying that Sandy could be a storm of unprecedented magnitude. In fact, some forecasts anticipate that Sandy could affect more than 60 million …

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National Grid: 'Lessons Learned From Irene'

National Grid improves service restoration and puts better communications in place.

Submitted by National Grid One year ago Tropical Storm Irene battered the eastern seaboard creating unprecedented damage and interrupting electric service to millions along the east coast. As of Aug. 28, 2011, it was the most severe storm to hit New England in 20 years. Massachusetts was not spared from Irene’s wrath. Her fury ravaged National Grid’s electricity system and left more than 518,000 customers without power in 170 of the 172 communities served by National Grid in the state.  From that devastation has come innovation in the way National Grid prepares for severe weather, allocates its resources to restore power more quickly, and communicates with its customers and public safety officials. “We understand and acknowledge that many …

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National Grid Starts Tree Trimming Program

Notice the trucks out there trimming trees? It'll continue for a few weeks.

National Grid's Vegetation Managment Program has identified many trees in Northborough that require trimming. Contracting with Asplundh Tree Expert, it will perform routine maintenance, pruning trees throughout the town that may be a threat to utility wires. This practice is done to protect the wires during storms in an effort to minimize the power outages. The program will continue through the first two weeks of July. Notices have been sent to residents whose trees will be affected by the pruning. The following is a list of streets that will be included in the tree trimming program. Phase One: Adams Road, Alcott Drive, Assabet Drive, Auger Ave., Beverly Road, Blake Street, Brigham Street, Cedar Hill Road, Chesterfield Road, Church Street…

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The Troll of Northborough

12:50 pm on Thursday, June 28, 2012

Seeing how the sidewalk snow in the downtown area its the land owners issue, and people objected to the town buying a new snow removal machine, Now that the power company is trimming the trees of the land owners that have failed to keep limbs and such clear from power lines, they will be getting the bill right, I don’t want to pay a higher rate for all these people with trees that need to be …   more ›