Watertown, N.Y. — Jefferson County residents could be without power for days after high winds downed trees and wires overnight Tuesday, according to National Grid.
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, 22,537 customers were without power in Jefferson County, according to the National Grid outage map. That’s nearly 40 percent of all the utility’s customers in the county.
More than 7,000 customers in nearby St. Lawrence County were without power and another 2,000 in Lewis County had no electricity as of Wednesday afternoon.
There is no exact time power will be restored to everyone, said National Grid spokesperson Jared Paventi.
And the weather forecast for the North Country isn’t good. It calls for heavy lake effect snow with 8 to 16 inches in the most persistent lake snows through Friday. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
Watertown City Manager Eric Wagenaar said officials are working with The Salvation Army and local hotels to provide shelter to residents who need it. About 5,000 people are still without power in the city, he said.
The American Red Cross of Central & Northern New York established a shelter for Jefferson County residents at Jefferson Community College for residents who need a warm place to stay.
Wagenaar said National Grid has supplied dry ice for refrigeration and water to those affected by the damage. A list of places to pick up these items can be found on National Grid’s Facebook page.
On Tuesday night, wind speeds were as high as 79 mph in some areas, including the village of Dexter and Watertown, according to the National Weather Service. Category 1 hurricane wind speeds start at 74 mph.
“We saw dangerous wind gusts in Northern New York, including gusts at the Watertown airport of 78 mph,” Paventi said.
National Grid crews have been at work since before sunrise to determine the extent of the damage, Paventi said.
Crews have repaired transmission lines that carry power from generation stations to substations – but four of those sub-transmission lines are currently out of service, Paventi said. Many of those lines are off-roadways and are being accessed by utility task vehicles and on foot, he said.
There is also extensive damage to National Grid’s distribution system – the lines that feed homes and businesses. There is significant tree and pole damage in northern New York, he said.
Most of the damage occurred in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties in areas that are heavily wooded and hilly. Some roads are impassible due to fallen trees.
Paventi said there are about 55 broken poles. Pole replacement is a labor-intensive process that can take one crew with specialized equipment up to six hours to repair, he said.
National Grid’s restoration process Paventi said started during the storm, but it was not safe to put crews on the road to make line repairs last night.
Paventi said repairs are being made, but will take time. He said the company asks its customers for patience as National Grid works to recover.
He also said they are aware of the weather poised to impact the same area over the weekend.
“Our priority is restoring service to our customers safely and quickly, but know that planning for the next event is already underway,” Paventi said. “We will have further guidance for our customers in the next day or two.”
Staff writer Darian Stevenson covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at dstevenson@syracuse.com