A powerful storm traveling up the East Coast delivered a mix of strong winds, heavy rain, and warming temperatures to New England, disrupting power and melting snow in ski areas.
Fueled by an atmospheric river carrying tropical moisture, the storm lashed the region with high winds, causing widespread power outages. In Maine, nearly 57,000 customers lost electricity as of Wednesday night, while Massachusetts saw nearly 8,000 without power, according to poweroutage.us.
The storm brought freezing rain early Wednesday, followed by a deluge of regular rain as temperatures climbed above 50°F in some areas, such as Portland, Maine. Derek Schroeter, a National Weather Service forecaster, explained that a deepening low-pressure system was responsible for the intense winds, raising concerns about bombogenesis—a rapid intensification of the storm.
Local businesses and ski resorts faced the impact of the shifting weather. Jen Roberts, co-owner of Onion River Outdoors in Montpelier, Vermont, noted that days of promising snowfall were washed away. Jamie Cobbett from Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire referred to the rain as “moist wet weather” and expressed optimism about recovering the slopes.
Some skiers adapted to the conditions, with Marcus Caston at Vermont’s Sugarbush praising the softened snow. “It’s actually pretty good,” he said.
Meanwhile, other parts of the country faced their own challenges. Michigan experienced heavy lake-effect snow along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and dangerous cold gripped areas of the Upper Midwest.
In Boston, college student Alex Hobbs voiced concerns about travel delays due to the storm as she prepared to return home to San Francisco. “I’m a little worried about heavy wind, rain, and possibly snow,” she said.
The storm underscores New England’s famously unpredictable weather, bringing a variety of conditions within a single day.
