LEBANON — A dangerous winter storm, unique in its rain and heavy winds, ripped through the Upper Valley on Thursday night. With temperatures plunging rapidly Friday evening, the effects of the storm will last through the holiday weekend, forecasters predicted.
While the Upper Valley was spared the 70 mph winds that bore down on western parts of Vermont, drivers still needed to proceed with caution, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.
Overnight on Friday, the Upper Valley will be looking at a flash freeze, Palmer said earlier in the day. Temperatures were expected to plummet from the upper 40s all the way down into single digits by Saturday morning, with wind chill in the single digits below zero, he added.
Flood and winter weather advisories had expired by noon on Friday, but Palmer also warned of black ice accumulating as the sun set. Power outages are expected to become more damaging as temperatures drop.
As of 3 p.m. on Friday, roughly 55,000 Vermonters were without power. In New Hampshire, close to 46,000 Eversource customers and 13,500 New Hampshire Electric Cooperative customers were without power.
At a press briefing on Friday morning, Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison urged the public to get where it needed to be by 4 p.m.
“After that, all bets are off and you are taking a tremendous risk,” Morrison said.
Advance Transit will operate all of its routes as usual. “We’ll be driving like it’s normal,” said Derrick Waterbury, Advance Transit’s paratransit service coordinator. “But we’ll just move slowly and be a bit more careful.”
As of Friday morning, Dartmouth Coach was running through the day as planned. But the Lebanon Municipal Airport had canceled all outgoing flights, and Saturday’s flights remained on standby. Wind and rain shuttered the Dartmouth Skiway in Lyme.
Hanover Consumer Cooperative’s four grocery stores and two service stations closed at 4 p.m.
“Sunday morning looks kind of the same as Saturday morning with cold temperatures hanging in there through the holiday weekend,” Palmer said. “Winds are going to be gusting to around 20 (mph) in the Upper Valley on Saturday.”
“But we’re in for a calmer Christmas morning.”
Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at fmize@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.