Unitil Corporation, (unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, is preparing for a winter storm forecasted to impact the area tonight and into tomorrow.
According to the most recent forecast, freezing rain is expected to begin late tonight in all service areas and expected to persist into tomorrow morning. Altogether, approximately 0.1-0.3 inches of ice accretion is possible in all territories, with up to 0.5 inches of ice possible in higher elevations north and west of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Such conditions have the potential to create a variety of impacts on the system, including outages caused by motor vehicle accidents or downed lines due to fallen trees and branches overburdened with ice.
"While the greatest risk for hazardous ice currently appears to be in higher elevation areas, temperature changes of just one or two degrees can significantly change the overall impact ice can have on the system. Crews will be standing by in the areas at greatest risk, and we continue to closely monitor the forecast and remain prepared to escalate our response further if warranted," said Unitil's Media Relations Manager Alec O'Meara.
In light of the ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, Unitil proactively secured additional third party crews to bolster resources. Crews will be standing by in all regions, and Unitil will continue to monitor the forecast and is prepared to escalate its response further if conditions warrant doing so.
We recommend our customers remain similarly prepared by checking and making an inventory of the following items:
- Flashlights and fresh batteries
- A battery-operated radio and clock
- Bottled water, canned foods and a manual can opener
- A list of important phone numbers and a car charger for cell phones if applicable
- A first aid kit.
The snowy conditions have the potential to take wires to the ground. In the event of downed wires, assume all cables and wires that have fallen or dangling are energized and stay away. Be sure to avoid wet ground or puddles near a downed lined because water conducts electricity. In addition, keep away from all flooded and debris laden areas because they may be hiding downed lines. Stay in a safe place and avoid driving in damaged areas so you don’t interfere with rescue and restoration efforts.
"Temperature changes of just one or two degrees can significantly change the overall impact ice can have on the system. Crews will be standing by in the areas at greatest risk."
Alec O'Meara, Media Relations Manager
Unitil will be communicating throughout the event through Public Service Announcements (PSAs), our website, our customer call center and through the media. We also encourage customers to follow along with our storm updates via Facebook, our Twitter feed (@Unitil) and we will be providing real-time outage information online at unitil.com/map.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR MEDIA: Unitil asks that when reporting outage information, outlets time stamp the information. Outage numbers change hourly and we wish to make sure the information customers receive is consistent and understandable. Re-Tweets and re-posting of old information without referencing a time can create confusion.
Customers experiencing outages should call 1-888-301-7700. You can also report outages online here.
