National Grid Listed as Outage Contact as Nor'easter Cuts Power to Thousands

A powerful nor'easter has left thousands of customers without electricity across Southern New England, and National Grid is listed among the utilities with outage reporting lines as crews stage for restoration. The storm’s heavy snow and damaging winds have prompted utilities to position crews and forestry teams, warning that repairs could take multiple days.

Development details

As of 4 a. m. Monday, Rhode Island Energy had about 4, 400 customers without power, primarily concentrated in Washington County. In Eastern Massachusetts, Eversource logged roughly 5, 700 homes and businesses without electricity, while a separate tally in Connecticut showed 3, 787 Eversource outages statewide out of 1, 310, 282 customers, equal to 0. 29% of that service area.

State officials and utility leaders have moved crews into position. Rhode Island Energy placed 200 line crews and 80 forestry crews on standby, with staging sites established at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, Ninigret Park and Middletown. Company officials emphasized that crews must wait for the storm to pass before beginning widespread repairs.

Utility representatives also noted the role of new smart meters: they provide automated outage notifications in areas where they are installed, but the rollout is incomplete, and customers are asked to report outages directly. To report outages, customers can call Rhode Island Energy at 855-743-1101 or text OUTAGE to 743674; Eversource can be reached at 800-286-2000; National Grid’s outage line is 1-800-465-1212; and United Illuminating’s number is 800-722-5584.

Context and escalation

The storm struck as a nor'easter delivering heavy snow and strong gusts, conditions that officials warned could produce long-lasting service interruptions. Rhode Island Energy leadership projected that the region could see between 100, 000 and 150, 000 outages over the course of the event, a range that underlines the scale operators are preparing to address. Governor Dan McKee’s administration coordinated staging and public guidance while stressing that crews cannot safely begin many restoration tasks until winds and snowfall subside.

What makes this notable is the combination of pre-positioned specialized crews and the anticipation of a multi-day restoration: the scale of resources staged signals an expectation of widespread, potentially prolonged impacts on the electric system.

Immediate impact — National Grid contacts and local disruptions

Hundreds of individual towns and communities reported significant outages. In Connecticut, Beacon Falls recorded the highest proportion affected, with 972 of 2, 947 customers without power — nearly one-third of the town. Burlington reported 763 outages out of 4, 006 customers, about 19% of that community. East Lyme had 720 customers without power, representing roughly 6. 79% of its 10, 603 accounts, and Guilford reported 477 outages, or 4. 27% of customers.

Local infrastructure was also impacted: Bethany Road in Beacon Falls was closed between Feldspar Avenue and Munson Road because of downed trees and power lines, and restoration teams were working to clear hazards before full repairs could proceed. In Rhode Island, outages were mainly concentrated in Washington County, and in Eastern Massachusetts the Cape Cod area experienced notable service interruptions.

Customers seeking to report a loss of service should contact their utility directly: Rhode Island Energy at 855-743-1101 (or text OUTAGE to 743674), Eversource at 800-286-2000, National Grid at 1-800-465-1212, and United Illuminating at 800-722-5584. For outages in the Clear River Electric and Water District, the contact is 401-568-6222.

Forward outlook

Utilities have made clear that restoration work will proceed once weather conditions allow. Crews already staged at multiple sites will begin targeted repairs as soon as it is safe; however, leaders warned that extensive damage and blocked roads will slow progress and that some outages could take days to resolve. No uniform estimated time of restoration was provided for the affected communities, and utility representatives reiterated the importance of customers reporting outages where smart meters are not yet notifying the system automatically.

Officials continue to monitor conditions and keep staging areas ready. The immediate next steps are weather-dependent: once winds and snowfall subside, line and forestry crews will prioritize clearing downed trees and restoring main feeders to reconnect the greatest number of customers as efficiently as possible.