Utility crews worked Wednesday to restore power to customers in central Maine after a nor’easter tore through the state a day earlier, delivering heavy snow and powerful winds.

Central Maine Power Co. was coordinating with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and municipalities to restore power in the region. The number of outages narrowed from about 115,000 statewide in the immediate aftermath of the storm to about 27,000 by late afternoon.

“Along coastal areas, including York and Knox counties, hundreds of trees and limbs have damaged power lines, and electricity restoration is expected to continue throughout Wednesday,” CMP officials said in a statement released to the news media.

The greatest number of outages Wednesday morning in Kennebec County included about 410 in Litchfield, 290 in Monmouth, slightly more than 100 in Wayne and about 70 in Manchester, according to CMP’s website. The county had a total of 1,442 outages out of almost 74,000 customers.

Waldo County had about 1,400 outages, and CMP reported only 18 outages in Somerset County.

In CMP’s announcement Wednesday, company spokesman Jon Breed asked that motorists give utility crews a wide berth to make sure workers are safe as they restore power.

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“Weather conditions were extremely hazardous Tuesday evening and our crews worked through the night making lines safe, removing fallen trees and restoring power,” Breed said. “Now that the storm is passed, we have repositioned crews to the areas hardest hit and will be working all day.”

Augusta received 6 1/2 inches of snow, while about 6 inches fell in South China, according to the National Weather Service. Skowhegan and Cornville received 3 1/2 inches, and the largest accumulation in the region appeared to be in the Waldo County town of Knox, which saw 7 inches.

By comparison, about 35 inches of snow fell in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Augusta saw winds that hit more than 50 mph, and Waterville reported gusts reaching 45 mph. Norridgewock appeared to have the strongest winds in Somerset County, with gusts hitting 32 mph, according to the National Weather Service.


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