Massachusetts power outages soar as blizzard wreaks havoc along coast
The list of power outages in the winter-weary Bay State has surpassed 100,000, with the worst being seen along the coast and Cape Cod.
The MEMA outage database lists Plymouth as the hardest hit just after 8:30 a.m., with 17,000-plus without power. That’s a big jump from the hour before.
Dennis is next on the outage leader board with 10,640, MEMA reports. The Cape is not the place to be today. Bourne, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, and Wareham all have in excess of 3,000 customers without power, the database states.
On the South Shore, Quincy is leading the pack with 3,659 in the dark.
On the North Shore, Gloucester has just made the list at 2,478 with no lights or heat.
The entire town of Hamilton is reportedly without power, with more than 3,000 outages listed. Just inland near Manchester-by-the-Sea, the Essex county town, like the rest of us, is in the grip of this blizzard that’s going to hang around all day, forecasters say.
Boston, so far, has been spared as the city reports the storm hit later than expected.
Stay inside, if you can
The Boston Public Works division is reporting what all the forecasters are saying — this is just the meat of this nor’easter. The best bet is to hunker down and wait it out.
High winds and heavy snow are causing whiteout conditions. Please stay home & avoid the roads. If travel is unavoidable, drive slowly & be aware of others walking or shoveling in our neighborhoods. Thank you for looking out for one another. Stay warm. Stay safe. pic.twitter.com/E8GRyyJRcT
— Boston Public Works (@BostonPWD) February 23, 2026
Blizzard warning extended
The entire state is now under a blizzard warning, in case anyone in Western Massachusetts was feeling left out. Connecticut is also being hammered first, as this line of heavy snow has now dropped close to a foot and more outside our doors.
Hurricane-force winds
Wellfleet is reporting in with 77 mph, Category 1 hurricane winds. Police report on Facebook that they are “receiving (reports of) severe damage to powerlines and trees, roads are impassable.”
This is a developing story as the Herald keeps the power on, hopefully, and the updates coming …
