RESTORED – Outages – 4-4-2024/4-6-2024

April 6, 2024 – 1:20 pm

Crews have successfully restored the final outages in WEC territory! There remain places we need to finish repairs and make permanent fixes, as there typically after after a major storm.

This storm was somewhat frustrating in that new outages continued to occur nearly throughout the duration of the restoration effort.

Statewide around 1,500 remain out of power across Vermont

Thank you for your patience and your support of our crews while they did their work during very difficult conditions and long, long days.

April 6, 2024 – 6 am

WEC crews continue to work to restore power after another frustrating night in which additional outages occurred on our system. About 245 members are out of power currently, and all crews including outside crews are working across the territory. About 2,000 are out of power across Vermont.

While we expect to get all members back in service today, additional outages from trees and snow continue to occur.

Remember: If you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by calling us immediately at 1-802-223-5245 or 1-800-932-5245. Please check back regularly for updates.

April 5, 2024 – 9 pm

Crews have done amazing work to bring members back on line today. However, about 140 members remain out of power now in WEC territory, with about 2,000 out across Vermont.

While crews continue to work, given the difficulty of restoring power in the dark if you are out of power currently it is likely your power will remain out overnight. We expect the remaining outages to be restored tomorrow morning.

April 5, 2024 – 2:30 pm

Crews are making tremendous progress on restoring outages and we are down to about 400 WEC members who are out of service at this time.

Please alert us if you remain out of power even through your area is not shown to have an outage in our outage map which is located here: https://washingtonelectric.ebill.coop/maps/external/OutageWebMap/

WEC crews and outside crews will continue working into the night to restore power. We are optimistic that we will be able to restore electricity to the vast majority of those members who are out, but there will likely be a small number whose power will remain out into tomorrow. If your power is not restored by 9 pm tonight it is unlikely that it will be back before morning, given the difficult of restoring outages in the dark and given that some crews who have been working since 5 am will need to get some rest.

April 5, 2024 – 11 am

Line workers, including three outside crews who have come to help in WEC territory, are making significant gains in power restoration. Continued new outages over the last 24 hours, difficult road conditions including downed trees blocking access, and other issues have hampered restoration efforts but we are down to a little more than 1,200 WEC members out of service currently. Statewide, utilities are also making gains bringing the total number out to about 13,000.

Crews will continue working through today and this evening and we hope to restore power to the bulk of WEC locations by later tonight. However, there will likely remain some outages that persist into tomorrow in particularly difficult to reach places of where there are extensive repairs needed.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

April 5, 2024 – 5:30 am

WEC crews and members had a frustrating day Thursday as new outages occurred faster than they could be repaired. Several outside crews are working on our system to help WEC line workers today.

About 2,000 WEC members remain out of power right now, and about 16,000 across Vermont. While we hope to get the vast majority back in service today, especially with the additional help, it is likely there will be some outages that remain or new outages that occur into tomorrow. We will update here when we know more detail about that.

April 4, 2024 – 4 pm

WEC crews will continue to work on restoring outages into tonight. However, we continue to see new issues caused by heavy wet snow continue to crop up, sometimes on lines that have already had power restored to them once or twice. Close to 2,000 WEC members are out of power currently, and 30,000 remain out of service statewide as other utilities are experiencing the same outage pattern as we are.

Although line crews will continue to respond overnight, prioritizing emergencies which might cause dangerous situations, but given the continued snow, poor travelling conditions and the need to allow crews rest time so they can return to work early in the morning, if your power remains out by late evening tonight it will likely be tomorrow before it is restored.

Thank you for your patience and for understanding the difficult conditions crews are working through.

April 4, 2024 – noon

Crews have restored the GMP power line that feeds the Walden Substation bringing several hundred WEC members back on line. Crews continue to work other outages and we are seeing more come in as heavy snow continues to bring trees down on lines.

April 4, 2024 – 11:05am

The Green Mountain Power line that feeds WEC’s Walden Substation is not energized, likely due to snow and trees coming in contact with it. We are dispatching crews there now and will work with GMP on restoration of that line.

April 4, 2024 – 10:50 am

As snow continues to fall, we are experiencing more outages even as crews restore the previous ones. In some cases, the same areas have been restored only to have outages put them out of power again.

Members will likely see blinks, or brief interruptions in their service, throughout the day as trees with heavy snow contact the lines. It is fine to report these blinks, but please distinguish between these brief interruptions and actual outages where the power remains off. This will help WEC dispatchers and crews concentrate on areas in which electrical service is out and make our restoration efforts speedier and more efficient.

WEC currently has about 500 or so outages. Statewide we continue to also see more outages, with about 18,000 Vermont locations out of power right now.

April 4, 2024 – 6:30 am

The feeder line going to Plainfield has an outage on it, bringing the number of WEC members out of power back up to more than 800. Crews are working on assessing the damage and making repairs.

April 4, 2024 – 5:30 am

WEC experienced some outages early this morning. Currently the number of WEC members out of power has been reduced to fewer than 300. Those outages are concentrated in Marshfield, Plainfield and Moretown. Crews are on site assessing those outages or on their way to them.

Although the storm is expected to continue throughout the day and we expect more outages to occur, the winds are expected to diminish and the snow is expected to become drier and lighter as the day proceeds.

As in the most recent storm, WEC territory had relatively little damage compared to southern Vermont. Statewide more than 9,000 are out of power.