CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The heavy wet snow across Massachusetts on Tuesday is causing several trees and power lines to come down across roadways.
At the moment, more than 40,000 customers in the state are still without power. They’re mostly located in western and central Massachusetts, where that heavy, wet snow fell Tuesday. Those outages are down from about 70,000 at noontime.
The speed limit has been restricted on the Mass. Pike to 40 mph from the New York border to Millbury. As of 6:30 p.m., MassDOT has about 1,770 pieces of equipment for snow and ice removal.
22News was in Hampshire County earlier Tuesday evening, where thousands of people were slowly getting their power restored. 22News spoke with one Easthampton resident who said their family lost power very early in the morning.
“At around 3 in the morning, there was a transformer that blew out,” said Andrew Blum of Easthampton. “So we were without power until like four o’clock.”
Blum told 22News his family’s major concern was getting the power back on before it became too cold again at night. He added they were equipped with an emergency kit to keep all of their electronics fully charged in the event of an emergency.
When power lines do come down, stay at least 35 feet away. Do not touch anything that the lines may be touching. If you are too close, “shuffle” away to safety. Never drive over a downed line.
The following roads are affected:
Lanesborough: Old Cheshire Rd. From Prospect st. to Cheshire is closed due to downed power lines. (2:31 p.m.)
Holland: Heritage Drive is closed between Old County Road and Lake Drive due to a tree that snapped a utility pole. (2:17 p.m.)
Amherst: West Pomeroy Lane is closed between Farmington Road and the Hadley town line due to a down pole. (2:07 p.m.)
Stockbridge: Rattlesnake Mountain Road is closed. (11:32 a.m.)
Agawam: Garden Street at Mapleview Lane and Silver street closed. (11:25 a.m.)
Dalton: Grange Hall Road is closed at Patricia Avenue for wires down. (10:39 a.m.)
Shelburne: Route 2 is closed in both directions at mile marker 42.5 due to a tree down in the roadway. (10:06 a.m.)
Hadley: Route 47 which connects Hadley to South Hadley is closed due to a leaning pole. (9:55 a.m.)
Greenfield: Route 5 closed in both directions near 675 Bernardston Road due to trees and wires down in the roadway. (9:19 a.m.)
Whately: Weber Road and Egypt Road are closed and both areas are due to a tree down on power lines. (9:11 a.m.)
Colrain: Thompson Road is closed with trees and primary wires down. West Leyden Road is partially blocked, but passable. Heath Road is passable but uses caution. (8:52 a.m.)
Northampton: Route 66 near Florence Road is closed due to a tree down the roadway. (8:30 a.m.)
UPDATE // Easthampton: Cottage Street and Mountain Road closed. The roads are now back open to traffic, but power is still out in many parts of the city.
Adams: East Road near the landfill is closed due to a tree down in the roadway. (8:18 a.m.)
UPDATE // North Adams: Route 2 closed in both directions at West Shaft Road due to a utility pole down in the roadway. (7:40 a.m.) The road has reopened as of 1:02 p.m.
UPDATE // Pittsfield: Route 20 closed in both directions at 700 South Street due to a tree down in the roadway. (7:36 a.m.) The road has reopened as of 11:27 a.m.
Great Barrington: Montgomery Valley Road is closed between Lovers Lane and Blue Hill Road due to multiple trees down. (6:52 a.m.)
Blandford: Russell State Road from Kaolin Road to Nye Brook Road is closed due to a tree down with wires. (5:55 a.m.)
Driving tips in snow and ice
Don’t use cruise control when the roads are wet and slippery. If you start to slide remember don’t slam your brakes. Keep calm and ease off the gas and try to guide the car to a slow and easy stop.
If your car does end up skidding or spinning out-steer in the direction of the skid so that when your wheels regain traction, you don’t have to overcorrect to stay in your lane Defensive driving, increasing your following distance, and reducing your speed is crucial to avoid crashes and other roadway incidents.
