Winter storm socks U.S. New England
region, snaps power lines
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[January 02, 2017]
By Brendan O'Brien
(Reuters) - A winter storm lashed New
England with heavy snow and high winds on Friday, cutting power lines as
some areas were blanketed with more than 24 inches (60 cm) of snow, the
U.S. National Weather Service said.
Winter storm warnings and advisories issued for areas stretching from
northern New York through most of Maine were lifted later on Friday, and
electric utilities scrambled to restore power to tens of thousands of
people.
"This is the first strong nor'easter New England has seen this season,"
said Todd Foisy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in
Caribou, Maine. "The hardest hit was central Maine and areas running
southwest."
Much of Maine received double-digit snowfall, the National Weather
Service said, with Oxford County, in the southern part of the state,
reporting 27 inches (69 cms) in some locations.
In New Hampshire, snowfall was less, but the National Weather Service
reported areas receiving more than a foot of snow in Carroll County, on
the border with Maine.
Central Maine Power said 91,000 customers were without power as of
Friday morning. That number fell to about 43,000 early in the evening.
Nearly 15,000 customers of Emera Maine were without power on Friday
morning, according to an outage list on the power company's website. By
evening, the number fell to about 4,500.
A winter storm warning was in place for parts of southwestern
Pennsylvania on Friday evening, the service said.
Some outdoor enthusiasts were excited about the snow.
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Glen Porter maneuvers his snowblower while clearing his driveway in
Bangor, Maine, U.S. December 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ashley Conti
"WOW! What a way to start the season!" the Maine Snowmobile
Association, which described the storm as a "whopper," said on
Facebook.
The association cautioned against rushing to trails that had been
inundated with snow and not yet groomed for riding.
"Like all of life's great pleasures, perfect snowmobile trails take
a little bit of time," the association said.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee. Additional reporting by
Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago and Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas;
Editing by Catherine Evans and Steve Orlofsky)
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