Community Corner

Utility Companies Brace for Busy Night As Storms Approach

Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating are tracking the latest forecasts and preparing for the worst from the upcoming storm.

The latest weather forecast calls for a lot of rain and severe thunderstorms throughout Connecticut this evening, but the most problematic possibility for the utility companies is strong wind.

“The rain is not as much a concern as the winds when they exceed 40 mph,” said Michael West, director of communications at United Illuminating (UI). “That starts to pose some different challenges.”

West says the company has been tracking the latest forecasts with “eyes open and our ears to the ground” to see how hard the storm might hit Connecticut.

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The latest forecast from the National Weather Service warns that the worst of the weather will be before 11 p.m. According to their forecast, “Some storms could be severe, with large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain” totaling up to three inches in the Manchester area.

The National Weather Service has also issued a Flash Flood Warning and a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the Manchetser area, with the flood warning in effect from 4 p.m. Thursday through Friday morning. 

Find out what's happening in Manchesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At Connecticut Light & Power, a spokesperson said, “It’s all hands on deck.”

“It will be a very strong, very quick-moving storm,” said Mitch Gross. “There’s potential for damage throughout the state. We’re preparing to be very busy later this evening.”

Gross doesn’t know the severity of the weather, but, he said, “We’re preparing all our people, all our processes, all our equipment, all our everything.”

CL&P customers can report outages by calling 800-286-2000. UI customers can call 1-800-7-CALL-UI (1-800-722-5584).


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