January 22, 2016
WALTHAM, MASS. – Southern New England could be hit with a major winter storm this weekend and National Grid is prepared to respond to any power interruptions that might occur. Weather forecasts are still tentative, but conditions appear favorable for the development of an off-shore storm that could dump as much as six or more inches of snow on parts of the region beginning on Saturday evening.
“We’ve been monitoring this storm since the beginning of the week,” said Dan Bunszell, vice president of New England Electric Operations for National Grid. “Our people are ready and outside contractor crews will be available if needed.”
Current forecasts call for snow to develop over Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts Saturday evening with deepest accumulations expected in those areas. The snow could spread northward into Massachusetts where lesser amounts are anticipated before the storm ends on Sunday. Moderate snow, high wind gusts and coastal flooding are forecasted, creating conditions that could bring scattered service outages. National Grid is continuously monitoring the progress of the storm and has hundreds of company and contractor crews at the ready in the event they are needed. Those resources will be concentrated in areas where the storm is expected to have its greatest impact.
The company also has been in communication with state and local emergency management officials and has issued an advisory to customers who are on life support and registered with the company that a storm is imminent and outages may occur.
The company is also advising customers to be prepared:
It’s a good idea to have a number of working flashlights, at least one battery-operated radio and an extra supply of batteries in your home. National Grid offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and maximize safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions do occur.
The company offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and maximize safety in the event that storm-related power interruptions occur.
Electricity & generator safety
Gas safety
Stay Connected to National Grid
National Grid provides multiple channels for customers to learn about service issues and interruptions during storms. Customers can follow the storm on their mobile devices by using the National Grid mobile app or texting the word STORM to NGRID (64743). The company provides real time outage information on its Outage Central web site at nationalgridus.com/OutageCentral. National Grid also provides storm and restoration updates through Facebook and Twitter.
About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity and natural gas delivery company that connects nearly 7 million customers to vital energy sources through its networks in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.
Through its U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions. Connect21 is vital to our communities' long-term economic and environmental health and aligns with regulatory initiatives in New York (REV: Reforming the Energy Vision) and Massachusetts (Grid Modernization).
For more information please visit our website, or our Connecting website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, friend us on Facebook, find our photos on Instagram