National Grid crews work to restore power throughout North Country
JEFFERSON & LEWIS COUNTIES- National Grid crews have been working tirelessly to restore power across the North Country, following on the heels of a vicious wind storm that howled most of Tuesday night and into Wednesday.
The storm brought damaging gale-force winds - including a 78 mph hurricane-force wind gust recorded at Watertown Municipal Airport on Tuesday evening - and heavy rain to much of the region, causing widespread damage to the company's electric transmission and distribution systems.
It seems the areas most impacted from this weather event are in Jefferson County, specifically the city of Watertown, NY.
Other areas throughout Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties endured damage and power outages from the storm.
As of 11:00 a.m. Thursday, the company has restored service to 182,800 of the more than 202,100 upstate New York customers affected by the storm.
In Northern New York, 60,400 of the 76,100 affected customers have had power restored, National Grid said.
"Our crews have encountered a one-two punch of extensive damage caused by the wind storm and continuing poor weather conditions," said Matt Barnett, Vice President of New York Electric Operations. "Our field team is out in full force to restore service to our customers as quickly and safely as possible in the face of difficult circumstances."
The storm brought damaging gale-force winds - including a 78 mph hurricane-force wind gust recorded at Watertown Municipal Airport on Tuesday evening - and heavy rain to much of the region, causing widespread damage to the company's electric transmission and distribution systems.
National Grid Power Outage Map here.
As of this report, the number of people having power restored keeps steadily increasing and National Grid has officially released a late estimated restoration time of 11:30 p.m. Thursday for those still without power.
National Grid officials remind customers that restoration times are estimates, meaning crews may finish restoring power a little sooner or later than predicted.
National Grid appreciates the patience from their customers through the aftermath of this weather event.
National Grid will distribute dry ice and bottled water at targeted locations hit hardest by the storm. Customers are asked to bring a cooler or paper grocery bags to transport dry ice to their homes, and company personnel will provide information about the proper handling of dry ice.
All locations open January 11, 2024, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Jefferson County
Adams Fire Dept.
6 N. Main St.
Adams, NY 13605
Watertown CitiBus garage
544 Newell St.
Watertown, NY 13601
St. Lawrence County
Hermon Fire Dept.
1650 County Route 21
Hermon, NY 13652
Star Lake Fire Dept.
4187 NYS Route 3
Star Lake, NY 13690
National Grid image. This story was updated with additional information as of 11:25 A.M. Thursday, January 11, 2024.
