National Grid Prepared for Early Fall Storm Expected to Impact Massachusetts
WALTHAM, Mass. – National Grid is prepared for an early fall coastal storm expected to impact Massachusetts starting Friday into the weekend, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain, and possible flooding to parts of the region.
Forecasts call for strong winds, periods of heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding as the weekend storm coincides with higher-than-normal tides associated with the full moon.
Peak wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph are forecast across Eastern Massachusetts Friday, with gusts of 40 to 45 mph expected on Nantucket. Over the weekend, peak wind gusts are forecast to reach 45 to 50 mph on Nantucket, 40 to 50 mph in Eastern Massachusetts, and 30 to 35 mph for the rest of the region. Forecasts call for 3 to 5 inches of rain in some areas.
"National Grid is closely monitoring forecasts for the coastal storm expected to impact Massachusetts later this week and has been preparing for several days," said Shaun Vacher, Vice President of Electric Operations for New England. "National Grid is prepared to respond to outages or damage caused by the storm as safely and quickly as conditions allow."
As part of its storm preparedness efforts, National Grid has secured additional crews, positioned additional resources on Nantucket ahead of the weather, and has equipment and materials available across the region. The company will continue to evaluate resource needs as weather forecasts evolve.
The company remains in close contact with state and local officials, as well as emergency management agencies, to provide updates on preparedness activities and safety information.
In addition, National Grid will communicate with customers through traditional and social media channels, as well as email, text messages, and online notifications, to share storm safety and preparedness information.
The safety of customers, communities, and crews remains the company's top priority during any restoration effort. If outages occur, restoration work will begin as soon as conditions are safe. Weather conditions such as wind gusts exceeding 35 mph can make it unsafe for crews to work from elevated bucket trucks.
National Grid continues to monitor the storm closely and coordinate with local officials, first responders, and life-support customers to ensure readiness and support throughout the event.
National Grid continues to enhance how it communicates with customers during a storm. Recent modifications include:
- AMI Ping Notifications - If customers with new Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) experience an outage, those customers will now receive a notification explaining that their outage report has been closed.
- Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) Changes - Customers will now receive additional context when their Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) is extended, improving transparency during outage events.
- Outage Cause Display on the Outage Map - When possible, outage causes will now be displayed on the National Grid outage map, providing customers with greater visibility into the reason for their outage.
- Outage Map Link in Status Responses - Customers requesting outage status updates will now receive a direct link to the outage map, making it easier to access the latest outage and restoration information.
The company also offers the following tips and reminders:
Customers Should Stay Connected:
- Sign up to receive alerts via text, phone call, or email when an outage occurs.
- For email or phone alerts: Login to your account and update your preferences.
- Customers can text REG to 64743 to get text alerts.
- Like us on Facebook and follow us on X and Instagram; we post all the latest storm and restoration updates.
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Track outages and estimated restoration times at www.nationalgridus.com/
outage-central.
Downed Powerline Safety:
- Never touch downed power lines and always assume that any fallen lines are live electric wires. If you see one, report it immediately to National Grid or your local emergency response organization.
- Stay at least 30 feet away (at least two full pole spans) from all downed wires and keep others from going near them. Never attempt to clear debris, perform maintenance, or try to move downed power lines.
- Never touch a person or an object that is in contact with a downed line, as electricity can pass through to you.
- Take caution when approaching fallen trees, which could have power lines caught in them.
- Remember that water can conduct electricity. If you see a line down in a puddle or flooded area, avoid contact with the water to prevent risk of shock.
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Make safety your top priority when you see a downed wire. Call 911 or National Grid at 1-800-465-1212 to report it immediately and keep yourself and others away from the scene. To learn more about downed power line safety, please visit ngrid.com/ma-
powerlinesafety.
Stay Safe:
- Power problems can sometimes interrupt public water supply systems or disable well pumps, so keeping a supply of bottled drinking water on hand, as well as some canned food, is recommended.
- People who depend on electric-powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should let National Grid know. To register as a life support customer, call the company’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-322-3223.
- Check on elderly family members, neighbors, and others who may need assistance during an outage.
- If the power is out, use flashlights or other battery-powered lights. Do not use candles, which can pose a fire hazard.
- Please use caution when driving near emergency responders and crews restoring power.
Gas Safety
- If you suspect a natural gas leak:
- Get Out - All occupants should leave the house immediately. Do not use the telephone or light switches for any reason.
- Call Us – After leaving the house and reaching a safe environment, call the National Grid 24-hour gas emergency number for Massachusetts: 1-800-233-5325
- Stay Out - Do not return to your home until National Grid tells you it is safe.
