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Power coming back in West Bay area

WEST BAY: Power was back up in almost all of Warwick, and totally restored in West Warwick and Coventry, as of 5:40 p.m. The outage was caused by the Apponaug substation getting hit by a tree.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Weather service: The worst is over

The National Weather Service has lifted its high wind warning and replaced it with a wind advisory. It's also cancelled the flood watch for Rhode Island. "This storm center will move steadily away from the Southern New England coast late tonight and Wednesday," the weather service says. "In summary, the worst part of the windswept rainstorm has already occurred."

-- projo.com staff writer Jack Perry

The flood watch has also been cancelled for portions of northern Connecticut, most of
Massachusetts and southwest New Hampshire.

Rainfall of 1.5 to 2.5 inches fell from last evening through midafternoon today but mainly caused poor drainage street flooding, the weather service said.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

38,000 without power in R.I. this afternoon

Some 38,000 National Grid customers were without power late this afternoon, including about 31,400 in Warwick, West Warwick and Coventry, according to spokesman David Graves. Downtown Jamestown was also among the spots without electricity, while hundreds of households in nearby southeast Massachusetts also lacked power.

-- Staff reports

West Warwick, Warwick and Coventry customers lost power when a tree fell near an electrical substation in the Apponaug section of Warwick, knocking down four poles and "quite a bit of wire," Graves said.

Crews are working to restore power there, but repairs could take another three to four hours, Graves said at about 4:30 p.m.

Other communities experiencing significant outages include Pawtucket, where 2,200 customers are without power, Burrillville, 250, Cranston, 230, Cumberland, 275, and Warren, 17.

In Massachusetts, 900 customers in Seekonk are without power, 180 in Rehoboth and 82 in Attleboro.

"We have a couple hundred crews out there now as well as tree crews," Graves said. "As long as the wind keeps blowing, unfortunately, we're going to keep experiencing these problems." Crews have restored power to most of the 8,000 customers in the northern part of Rhode Island who'd lost power earlier today.

In Jamestown, a fallen tree branch knocked out a power line on Narragansett Avenue at about 3 p.m., causing businesses and residents living in the downtown section of Jamestown to be without power for the last two hours. National Grid workers are on scene to fix the problem.

In nearby Massachusetts, power was out for nearly a fifth of Seekonk's households and several homes in Rehoboth today as the gusty winds continued to blow down trees into power lines.
A spokesperson for National Grid said 900 households in Seekonk and 190 in Rehoboth were without electricity.
Seekonk Police Lt. Craig Mace said the majority in the dark were in two areas -- near Lincoln Street and around a portion of Chestnut Street, specifically between Hammond and County Streets.
Rehoboth Police Sgt. James Medeiros said there have been numerous calls to the department all day for various, minor complaints, such as cellars that need to be pumped out and branches down. He said there were trees down at Bay State Road and Chestnut Street in the their community, which could be the cause of Rehoboth's power outages.
Mace and Medeiros said there wasn't any major problems or flooding as of 5 p.m. but didn't know what the evening's weather would bring.

-- projo.com staff writer Jack Perry and Journal staff writers Chelsea Phua and Alisha Pina

Posted by Jack Perry  at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Storm cancels ferry to Block Island

Ferries to Block Island were canceled today because of the stormy weather, according to the New Shoreham Public Safety Department.

-- Jack Perry.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Kent Hospital on backup power; Buttonwoods area without electricity

WARWICK: Kent Hospital is operating on backup generator power, with incoming ambulances being diverted to other hospitals, and the Buttonwoods section is without electricity this afternoon, apparently due to downed power lines.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

2:30 p.m. -- Kent Hospital in Warwick has lost main power and is on backup generator power. They are diverting incoming ambulances to other area hospitals, according to Public Relations Director Brian Wallin. While they are not accepting new patients, no one now hospitalized has been adversely affected, Wallin said.

2:15 p.m. -- Power has failed in the Buttonwoods section of Warwick in the area of Buttonwoods Avenue and Route 113, potentially because of power lines down at a substation by Centreville Road and Toll Gate Road, according to Capt. Matthew Costello of the Warwick Police.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Classes cancelled at CCRI's Warwick campus

WARWICK: Classes at the Community College of Rhode Island's Warwick campus have been cancelled for today of 3:15 p.m., due to a power outage that occurred at about 2:30 p.m.. Dean of Administration Stephen Marginson said classes at CCRI's three other campuses - Providence, Lincoln and Newport - would continue as scheduled.

-- Journal staff writer Jennifer Jordan

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Fallen tree blocks Great Road in Lincoln

LINCOLN - Three hours after a fallen tree and electrical wires blocked a section of Great Road near Route 116 this morning, firefighters were still diverting traffic as they waited for the electric company to arrive, Lincoln police reported.

-Cynthia Needham

Posted by Jack Perry  at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Lights back on at RIC

PROVIDENCE -- Power has been restored at Rhode Island College, according to spokeswoman Jane Fusco.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Glocester schools briefly lose power

GLOCESTER -- All four schools were without power for about an hour this morning, but students were not sent home early. The school administration offices and town hall, which are in the same building, lost power for more than two hours. Trees were reported down in several areas.

Trees in Glocester were down on Saw Mill Road, Huntinghouse Road, Cooper Road, and Chestnut Hill Road. One limb fell on a car driving on Snake Hill Road, near Fogarty Memorial School, but the driver was not injured, police said.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Warchut

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Fallen trees block roads in East Greenwich

EAST GREENWICH -- A downed tree blocked a section of Division Road this morning, and the police diverted traffic for an hour until a crew from National Grid cleared the obstacle, Dispatcher Holly Zenga said.
Another tree fell at Carrs Pond Road at 10:53 a.m., Zenga said, leaving the rural road impassable until noon.

-- Benjamin Gedan.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Umbrellas not much protection in downtown Providence

PROVIDENCE -- The downtown business district was strewn with discarded umbrellas this morning. Wind gusts were so strong they tore umbrellas apart and pulled them out of peoples hands. Some gusts near the big office buildings were so strong it was difficult to walk into them. The gloomiest-looking people were smokers, standing outside their buildings and trying to relax with their cigarettes as the wind and rain tore at their umbrellas.

-- Journal environment writer Peter B. Lord

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Flooding in parts of Cranston

CRANSTON -- There is minor flooding in Cranston at Pontiac Avenue and Route 37, and at Fletcher Avenue, according to Sgt. Paul Medeiros of the Cranston Police.

-- Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by Jack Perry  at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Downed trees knock out power in section of Coventry

COVENTRY -- Downed trees have knocked out power lines in the area of Read SchoolHouse Road, cutting power to the Read Schoolhouse and to the homes in Wood Estates, according to Coventry Police.

-- Journal staff writer Daniel Barbarisi

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Minor coastal flooding possible at high tide

The National Weather Service has just issued a special weather statement:

A brief period of minor coastal flooding is possible near the time of high tide this afternoon. A storm surge of 2 to 2.5 feet may cause minor coastal flooding
within an hour of high tide along the more vulnerable shore points across Narragansett Bay and other Rhode Island and Massachusetts South Coast locations. High tide occurs around 3 PM along Rhode Island and Massachusetts South Coast.

This includes Narragansett and
Buzzards Bays. At 1 PM.the tide was running 2.3 to 2.5 feet above normal at Providence... Quonset Point... Newport and Fall River.

Do not attempt to drive along any shore roads that become flooded, the weather service warns.

For more information on area tides, you can find tide charts here:
http://www.maineharbors.com/ri/tideri

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Falling tree sparks minor fire in Warwick

WARWICK - A tree fell on a power line at 2053 Elmwood Ave. at 12:45 p.m., causing a minor basement fire, the police said.

-- Journal staff writer Zachary Mider

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Just ducky out there

Melissa Baez of Providence gets some help battling the wind and rain along Charles Street in Providence this morning on her way to work at the Citizens Bank in North Providence.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Storm delays flights at Green

WARWICK -- The storm has delayed some flights to and from T.F. Green Airport. Travelers heading to New York, New Jersey or Florida should check in advance with their carrier, says Patti Goldstein, an airport spokeswoman.

-- Jack Perry.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Power out at RIC

PROVIDENCE -- Professors and students at Rhode Island College are conducting classes in the dark, benefiting only from the light passing through the windows, after the campus lost power.

-- Laura Meade Kirk

Posted by Jack Perry  at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

No kindergarten for Glocester kids

GlOCESTER -- There is no afternoon kindergarten for the Glocester School District.

-- Katie Warchut

Posted by Jack Perry  at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Flooding averted in North Providence

NORTH PROVIDENCE -- The Department of Transportation and North Providence Public Works crews rushed to clear out storm drains in the area of Mineral Spring Avenue and Brookside Avenue this morning because the overflowing drains were threatening to flood the low-lying neighborhood. The drains were cleared and the water has receded.

-- Mark Reynolds.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Officials: Avoid section of Mineral Spring Ave.

NORTH PROVIDENCE -- North Providence Public Works officials are advising motorists to avoid traveling east on Mineral Spring Avenue near Brown Street because of a very deep puddle.
-- A foot-deep puddle is making it difficult to enter the North Providence Shopping Plaza, off Douglas Avenue.

-- Mark Reynolds.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Wind knocks out power to thousands

About 8,800 National Grid electric customers, primarily in the northern part of Rhode Island, were without power late this morning, said David Graves, a National Grid spokesman. "The wind is really taking its toll," Graves said. The hardest hit communities included Glocester, Johnston, Woonsocket, North Smithfield and Scituate. Arborists and line crews are working to clear tree branches and restore power, he said.

-- Jack Perry.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Wind and rain slow commute

Strong wind and heavy rain slowed the morning commute, and the poor conditions continue to make driving difficult this morning, according to Rhode Island State Police Capt. Raymond White. "I would highly recommend slowing down," White said. As of late this morning, the state police had responded to "minor fender benders," no major accidents, White said.

-- Jack Perry.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

High wind warning expanded

The National Weather Service this morning expanded its high wind warning into interior sections of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. Strong northeast winds could knock down or uproot trees, the service says.
-- Jack Perry.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Wires down in Narragansett

NARRAGANSETT -- Report of power line sparking at intersection of Algonquin Road and Bonnet Point Road. Electric company notified; police respond and report from scene that wires are down. 10:33 a.m.

-- Dave McCarthy.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Burrillville's Clear River remains below flood level

BURRILLVILLE -- The Clear River remained below flood level this morning at around 8 a.m. -- a far cry from just over a week earlier, when it flooded roads and Eccleston Field. The drive to Providence was slower than usual along Route 44, but that was due less to rain (which was heavy, though not torrential) than to the wind and the slick leaves it sent down. The rain and wind were heavier in Providence than in the northwest corner of the state.

-- Journal staff writer G. Wayne Miller

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Loose cabin cruiser bobbing in Cranston cove

CRANSTON - Shortly before 9 a.m. today, Cranston firefighters rushed to Stillhouse Cove to check on a cabin cruiser that had broken loose from its mooring at the Rhode Island Yacht Club. The wind whipped the Providence River into whitecaps as the boat bobbed against the tall marsh grass along the shoreline, not far from the historic site of the burning of the British warship Gaspee during Colonial times. The boat was unoccupied. The owners were called to the scene. The Cranston Fire Department notified the Coast Guard and the Cranson harbor master, who were keeping an eye on the situation. But for now, there was no immediate danger to the boat.

-- Journal staff writers Mike Stanton and Jennifer Levitz / Journal photo by Mary Murphy

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments 0