GROTON - The winds were constant and blustery all afternoon. Residents battled wind, rain and even sleet. Some described it as like being in a hurricane.
“You can basically lean forward and hold you up like this it’s absolutely insane,” said John Pappas.
Wind gusts strong enough to hold people up and slow down people on a walk with their four-legged companions.
“I couldn’t even open my car door,” said Nate Cotty.
“I had track practice today and I had to run. It was terrible,” said Avery Lyon.
The winds at Groton Long Point were perfect for Pappas who drove down from Boston to surf the waves.
“It was absolute mayhem out there,” said Pappas. “The wind was blowing like 25 mph. The waves are coming one after another in three-second intervals.”
FOX61 Meteorologists say those gusts peaked close to 60 MPH creating choppy waters that kept New London ferry’s docked.
Wind advisories led North Stonington to allow elementary schools out early. East Hampton Public Schools did not. They tweeted the winds forced busses to turn around.
High winds spell a busy night for linesman like Lyon’s father. “Yeah he’s probably going to be fine,” said Lyon.
Power outages peaked at over 21,000 for Eversource customers.
“It’s all hands on deck as it typically is for situations like this,” said Mitch Gross of Eversource.
North Stonington saw 44% of its customers without power. Downed lines along Route 85 in Waterford had major intersections in the dark. The same issue left East Lyme neighborhoods without power.
“We are answering these outages just as quickly and safely as we can,” said Gross.