Severe Weather Sweeps Through Northeast, 300,000 Without Power

Severe weather pounded the Northeast region with powerful winds and drenching rains early Monday, leaving nearly 300,000 without power.

Southern New England appeared to suffer the brunt of the storm damage overnight.

Eversource reported more than 155,000 Connecticut customers were without power around 6:30 a.m. Monday. National Grid also reported more than 141,000 customers were without power in New York state, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

About 22,000 customers were without electricity in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey as the powerful wind and pounding rain swept through and caused a number of delays for commuters.

National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Dellicarpini said there were reports of downed trees and power lines around the region and roads that were impassable in spots due to flash flooding.

The Meriden Humane Society in Connecticut put out a call for volunteers on its Facebook page Sunday night to help deal with flooding in its dog kennels. A couple of hours later, the humane society thanked the volunteers who turned out to help dig a “major trench” to drain water away from the building.

“We are beyond humbled at the outpouring of support from our community,” the human society wrote on its Facebook page. “Thanks to all of you, our dogs will be sleeping very comfortably and most importantly very dry!”

Flash flood and high wind warnings were issued across the region. Dellicarpini said parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts saw wind gusts of up to 70 mph or more. Conimicut Light on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island reported a wind gust of 81 mph.

The same storm system also caused problems earlier Sunday in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

WABC-TV reported a driver trapped in high water in Newark, New Jersey, had to climb out of his car window to escape.

“I didn’t know it was that deep…just put the window down and got out,” he told the television station.

Dellicarpini said the storm was expected to continue through the early morning hours Monday in southern New England before moving north to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The storm began making its way up the East Coast on Sunday, which also was the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. That 2012 storm devastated the nation’s most populous areas, was blamed for at least 182 deaths in the U.S. and Caribbean and more than $71 billion in damage in this country alone.