Damaging winds top over 80 mph, leave tens of thousands without power in New England

Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald on Mar 17, 2026

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BOSTON — Gusty winds barraged Eastern Massachusetts and New England through Monday night, reportedly bringing over tens of thousands of power outages and gusts up to 80 mph.

“Overnight, the majority of the worst of it was after midnight,” said NWS meteorologist Emily McMinn. “It was between midnight and 3 a.m. Eastern Massachusetts received the worst of it.”

The highest winds were recorded at Blue Hills at 81 mph, while Logan Airport recorded 62 mph around 2 a.m., McMinn said. Worcester Airport and Providence recorded 61 mph, and Bradley Airport in Hartford said 55 mph.

As the cold front moved in Monday, the winds were accompanied by periods of “heavy downpours” in the New England region through the night and a widespread flood advisory.

Over 25,000 Massachusetts residents remained without power as of just after noon on Tuesday, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, but the numbers dropped quickly through the morning and into the afternoon.

Outages spread across the state, concentrating in the eastern region and along the coastline but covering much of the middle regions into the west, including thousands in Hampshire County as of around noon.

Winds were comparable to those during the blizzard in mid-February, when reported gusts reached 83 mph in New England.

Reported damage included downed trees and power lines across most of eastern Massachusetts, the South Shore and through central areas east of Worcester, McMinn said.

National Grid reminded customers Tuesday if they encounter a downed tree or wire to “please stay away and always assume it’s energized.”

NWS warned Tuesday that while the period of the strongest gusts was passed, winds up to 30 and 40 mph were expected throughout the day from the west. The region also felt “cooler temperatures today behind the cold front,” with a high in the low 40s in Boston.

As New England heads into spring, McMinn said, high wind days are “not uncommon.”

In instances of high winds, MEMA recommended residents “secure any loose objects in your yard” and if driving, “take it slow, watch for objects that might blow into the road, and increase your distance from other vehicles.”

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