Wild weather brings down trees and power lines across communities, damaging homes and cars – Boston 25 News
MASSACHUSETTS — Storms Friday brought strong winds, lightning and rain to much of Massachusetts, where the area remains under a severe thunderstorm watch.
Much of central and western Massachusetts counties including Middlesex, Essex, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire were experiencing a severe thunderstorm as of 11pm Friday night. This storm comes after much of New England was under a heat warning while experiencing extreme heat and high humidity, making the climate ideal for storms to form.
Stormy weather swept through the area Friday afternoon, toppling trees and downing power lines.
The Acton Fire responded to several trees falling on homes and cars, causing extensive damage. The storm hit historic West Acton, where a massive maple tree on Pearl Street was struck by a Honda SUV.
“That tree behind me was completely uprooted, it’s probably a 100-year-old maple. Fortunately, our neighbors whose car wasn’t here. Our house is about 30 feet away, so we were lucky,” John Spiro said.
“We heard strong winds and saw a lot of hail,” a Boxboro resident said after the severe weather hit.
In Boxboro, police urged residents to call 911 to report a power outage after several downed power lines and trees blocking Burroughs Road.
Police say one person was taken to the hospital after a tree split in half and fell on their car.
“I saw all the devastation. Neighbor’s house, his car crashed into an oak tree,” Walter Murphy said.
In Andover, two people were taken to the hospital on Powers Road when a tree crashed into their home, while they were sitting comfortably at home during the windy afternoon. A tree also fell on a pickup truck along Acorn Drive.
Many Andover roads remain impassable due to fallen trees or tree branches. Most Andover residents were without power Friday night after widespread reports of live wires down across roads and sidewalks.
“We expect unsafe conditions to continue Saturday and Sunday,” according to the Town of Andover page. “We appreciate the community’s understanding that the impacts of this storm, including power outages, will continue for several days.”
Andover Police and Fire, along with the Department of Public Works, continue to respond to calls for service throughout the city.
In Westboro, there was a live electrical wire on Route 30.
In Southborough, Barkerville Road was closed due to a large pine tree falling as the storm moved through.
In Maynard, police and Eversource are responding to several downed trees and live wires. “Please be careful when traveling,” officials said.
Video of the storm in North Andover shows strong winds and sideways rain.
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National Grid and Eversource have been called to numerous towns and cities across the Baystate due to thousands of reported power outages. According to MEMA, 50,000 customers were without power as of 9:30 p.m
This is a developing story. Check back for updates when more information is available.
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