A storm system that wreaked havoc in the Midwest and Canada finally arrived in New England Friday, leaving thousands of people without power as crews started working around the clock since the early morning hours.
Creating a rainy, windy run-up to Christmas Eve, the system left as many as 60,000 customers in the dark in Massachusetts alone, trending down to just under 40,000 by 3 p.m.
Outage maps showed Essex County experiencing the most power problems, with Andover, Methuen and Haverhill totalling over 10,000 outages alone as of Friday afternoon. And if the downed power lines did not cause enough trouble, downed trees did a number as well, closing roadways, damaging homes and taking out vehicles across the state.
Other hard-hit areas included Millis, East Bridgewater, Brimfield and Wales when it came to outages, all while communities up and down the coast dealt with ocean waves (and foam) rising above barriers and into roadways.
Flooded streets could be found from Gloucester to Plum Island to East Boston to Cohasset and beyond, all in the wake of a Coastal Flood Warning that remained in effect for most of the day, with 1-3 feet of inundation possible for shore roads and low-lying areas.
By the early afternoon, the brunt of the storm had passed, though pockets of heavy rain were still falling in Worcester County, heading east. Wind gusts that caused damage in the early morning entered a lull by midday, though a literal second wind with speeds of 55 mph are slated for later in the evening.
Also set to arrive Friday night is a wave of cold air from the west, ensuring a chilly Saturday morning as temperatures drop from the 50s many felt throughout the day to the 20s and teens by the start of the weekend.
For more information on the latest forecast, including how temperatures will hold up over the weekend, check out the 7WEATHER Weather Blog.
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