35K Without Power As Winter-Like Storm Pummels MA With 55+ MPH Winds

UPDATED 2 p.m.

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Nearly 35,000 Massachusetts residents — including huge pockets of Chelmsford, Lynn, Swampscott and Tewksbury — were without power on Saturday morning as a winter-like storm tore a path of tree damage, downpours and bone-chilling winds through New England.

Winds up to 55 mph were forecast for Saturday as the National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning through 8 p.m. for much of coastal Massachusetts.

There were also reports of heavy snow in the highest elevations of northern New England, and snow reported as far south as the interior New Hampshire/Massachusetts border near Worcester County.

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Widespread tree damage was reported across the state, with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reporting 34,228 customers without power as of 11:20 a.m.

More than 4,000 of those customers were in Swampscott, where MEMA reported that two-thirds of all customers were in the dark.

MEMA reported 5,004 customers without power in Lynn, 4,359 customers without power in Swampscott, 2,296 customers without power in Chelmsford, 2,007 customers without power in Tewksbury, and 2,183 customers without power in Medfield.

Power was restored to most of Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott as of 2 p.m.

Downpours and the strong winds were forecast to spread from north to south throughout the afternoon on Saturday, with areas of the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and Worcester County dealing with the strongest gusts in the morning, and the South Shore and Cape Cod getting hit with the heart of the storm in the afternoon.

Temperatures dropped into the 40s with wind chills in the 30s as the storm arrived across the Bay State.

Winds will calm to 20 mph during a chilly overnight with lows near 40 degrees and clearing skies, making way for the only "Blue Moon" of 2026.

Sunday will be a big-time rebound day into more seasonable weather with early sun followed by clouds and a chance of showers in the afternoon. Temperatures will bounce back to near 70 degrees.

The unsettled weather will continue through Monday and Tuesday before a warming trend takes hold later in the week.

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