Utilities prepare for potential storm outages this weekend after July 4 severe weather
Connecticut utility companies are preparing for the possibility of power outages this weekend as forecasters track storms that could bring strong winds and heavy rain across the state.
The heightened preparations come just two weeks after severe storms on July 4 knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers and caused widespread damage.
Norwich Public Utilities said crews are ready to respond if outages occur.
“We have to prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and then we can respond no matter what comes our way,” said Chris Riley of Norwich Public Utilities.
Many residents are still recovering from the effects of the July 4 storms, which brought powerful winds, large hail, downed trees and widespread outages.
“It was crazy intense. Intense. Crazy. Probably one of the craziest storms we’ve had,” said Salisbury resident Kristen Bartlett.
Utility preparation efforts are supported in part by staff at UConn’s Outage Prediction Model, which helps forecast how many power system problems are most likely to occur during severe weather.
“This week we’ve had a lot of wildfire smoke and so that’s really important for how the atmosphere heats up and what’s generating these thunderstorms,” said Brian Filipiak, lead forecaster for the UConn Outage Prediction Model.
The model uses weather forecasts, electric grid information, tree data and historical storm damage to estimate the number of potential power trouble spots.
Filipiak said thunderstorms can be difficult to predict because their exact path often is not known until they begin to develop.
“We don’t know what town is necessarily going to get hit until they start to form, and that was one of the big challenges with the July storm is that everybody thought they were going to be further to the southwest,” Filipiak said.
In a filing with state regulators, United Illuminating said it is preparing for what it classifies as a minor event this weekend, meaning fewer than 5,000 outages are expected and restoration efforts would take less than 12 hours.
An Eversource spokesperson said the company is also preparing crews ahead of the storm.
“We’ll have crews mobilized and in position around the state before the storm hits to ensure a safe and quick response to any potential damage or power outages,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The company also plans to have outside crews available if additional assistance is needed.
Riley urged customers to remain patient if outages occur.
“If there is a situation where people lose power, we always say if you lose power don’t lose patience. There are a lot of smart, hardworking people that are responding no matter where you are,” Riley said.
UI says it’s also increasing staffing to help with any damage response.
It also encourages customers to prepare and to stay away from any downed wires.
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