Cars, homes damaged due to wind

HAMPDEN, Mass. (WWLP) - With wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour recorded early Thursday morning, downed trees and power lines were a concern across western Massachusetts.

Most people were able to ride out the night’s winds without serious damage, but that was not the case on Woodland Drive in Hampden, where a huge pine tree smashed one family’s deck, and caused damage to their house and cars.

Elsewhere, several major roadways had to close due to fallen trees and power lines. Parts of Sumner Avenue in Springfield, Shaker Road in Longmeadow, and Springfield Street in Wilbraham had to be shut down as workers tried to clear the debris.

At one point, more than 3,000 customers across western Massachusetts were in the dark due to storm damage. There was a total of nearly 38,000 customers without power statewide. By late morning, electricity had been restored to the majority of those homes and businesses.

As strong as the wind gusts were here in western Massachusetts, some readings in the eastern part of the state were even more dramatic, with the Blue Hills Observatory outside Boston reporting an 81 mph gust around 6:30 A.M.