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Emergency services says call 911 to report down power lines and limbs in roads; nearly 3,000 without power in county

Posted 11/1/13

Updated at 3 p.m. With winds whipping through the North Country, St. Lawrence County Department of Emergency Services wants motorists to report downed limbs and power lines by calling 911. And as …

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Emergency services says call 911 to report down power lines and limbs in roads; nearly 3,000 without power in county

Posted

Updated at 3 p.m.

With winds whipping through the North Country, St. Lawrence County Department of Emergency Services wants motorists to report downed limbs and power lines by calling 911.

And as power outages are occurring in a number of areas, Interim Emergency Services Director Keith Zimmerman warns residents not to approach or drive over downed power lines.

“There are numerous reports of tree limbs and power lines being downed as a result of these intense winds and there are reports of scattered power outages throughout the County. The public is advised to call 911 to report downed limbs obstructing roads or damaging structures and/or to report downed power lines. Please,” the release says.

Nearly 3,000 people are without power in St. Lawrence County as the high winds continue to pummel the North Country. Downed power lines on U.S. Highway 11 between Potsdam and Canton forced a detour for many motorists earlier today.

Towns hardest hit by outages include Potsdam with 945 customers affected, followed by Pierrepont with 418, Fine with 296 and Parishville with 143.

Other towns experiencing outages include Canton, Colton, Clare, Brasher, Hammond, Hermon, Hopkinton, Lawrence, Lisbon, Macomb, Madrid, Oswergatchie, Stockholm and Waddington.

All areas are expected to have power restored by 8:30 p.m. with some areas, including Potsdam scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Wind gusts as high as 45 mph have been recorded at Potsdam Municipal Airport this morning, and gusts over 40 moh have hit Ogdensburg’s airport.

The National Weather Service forecast is warning of possible wind gusts of 60 mph today, before the official high-wind warning for the region expires at 8 p.m.

National Grid reports areas most affected by power outages so far include Canton, Macomb, the hamlet of Oswegatchie, Brasher, Potsdam, Hannawa Falls, Colton, Pierepont, North Russell, and smaller numbers of customers without electricity reported in communities across the county.

As of now, the utility company estimates all those customers will have power back by 4 p.m.

The National Weather Service expects winds to remain high tonight, with gusts of 48 mph possible, as the chance of rain or snow diminishes.

The forecast is calling for a 70 percent chance of showers tomorrow with light winds, and maybe some rain and snow tomorrow night.

The NWS forecast for the St. Lawrence Valley and the northwestern Adirondacks:’

• This Afternoon: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Windy, with a southwest wind 31 to 36 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

• Tonight: A slight chance of showers before 10pm, then a slight chance of showers after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 40. Breezy, with a southwest wind 17 to 22 mph becoming light west after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

• Saturday: Showers likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

• Saturday Night: Rain and snow showers likely before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 27. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph.

• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. North wind 3 to 8 mph.

• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 40. Light northeast wind.

• Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. East wind around 6 mph.

• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 49. South wind 7 to 10 mph.

• Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. South wind around 8 mph.

• Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. South wind 7 to 10 mph.

• Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. South wind around 10 mph.

• Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 55. Southwest wind around 10 mph.