Thousands Without Power Across New Hampshire Friday Morning

Thousands of New Hampshire residents woke up in the dark Friday morning as strong winds caused widespread power outages and downed trees across the state.

According to WMUR, utility crews spent the morning responding to fallen branches, power lines, and road blockages. Officials in several towns reported trees and wires down, with some roads temporarily closed as a result.

In Moultonborough, school officials delayed classes by two hours Friday morning after a power outage hit parts of the community. By 6:30 a.m., the state’s major utility providers including Eversource, Unitil, New Hampshire Electric Co-op, and Liberty Utilities, were all reporting a combined total of more than 11,500 outages.

WMUR was reporting wind gusts across New Hampshire reached upwards of 35 miles per hour, and forecasters say more outages could occur throughout the day and into Saturday as blustery conditions continue.

Residents are urged to stay alert and use caution around any downed power lines or debris. Utility companies ask anyone without power to report outages directly to their provider to help crews respond as quickly as possible.

With wind speeds expected to remain elevated through the weekend, officials remind everyone to secure outdoor decorations and charge devices in advance in case of additional power interruptions.

Stay weather-aware, and as always, use generators safely and make sure they're outdoors and away from windows, if you plan to run one during an outage.