Roads closed after storm brings down tree limbs

Several roads were closed in Lincoln after Sunday night’s fierce storm caused numerous downed trees and power outages all over New England.

Lincoln Police Chief Kevin Kennedy informed residents via robocall on Monday afternoon that five roads were closed due to downed power lines or tree limbs on lines: Conant Road near Laurel Drive, Moccasin Hill Road, Old County Road between Winter Street and Trapelo Road, Beaver Pond Road and Mill Street Extension.

The damage was caused by the combination of heavy rain that soaked leaves that were still on trees, making the limbs heavier and more vulnerable to high winds. Even after the rain had mostly ended during the day Monday, more homes were still losing power due to the continued high winds, Kennedy said.

The electrical utilities were “informed numerous times as these events occurred,” but it was unclear when everyone’s power would be restored and all the roads reopened, he said. Much of New England is in the same boat; “the storm has had a significant impact in this whole area,” Kennedy noted.

As of 9:15 p.m. on Monday, 207 Lincoln households (8 percent) were without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Things were much worse on the North Shore and pockets of central Massachusetts, however. Virtually the entire towns of Boxford and Salisbury (99 percent of customers) had no power on Monday afternoon, as well as 94 percent of customers in Topsfield, 88 percent in North Andover, and 80 percent in Dracut. In south central Massachusetts, 98 percent of households in Oakham and more than 80 percent in Monson, Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, and Hampden were without power.