Greater City Providence

Strong storms overnight in Providence area

Tree down on top of bus stop at Dominica Manor on Federal Hill
Tree down on top of bus stop at Dominica Manor on Federal Hill. Photo by Jim Beller

Radar image during the overnight storm
Radar image during the overnight storm
Hands up, who was in their basement at 2:30 this morning?

Heaven’s to Betsy that was scary. I was up closing the windows because of the rain and all of a sudden I thought I was Dorothy on my way to Oz. I’m told it was straightline winds that caused us all to wake up in the middle of the night and panic, but looking out my window on Federal Hill, it sure looked like some of the video from Springfield last week.

I haven’t heard of any injuries, but we did have some damage last week. Send your photos of storm damage, or your cats panicing last night or what have you to us at contact@gcpvd.org, or share them in our Flickr Group.

Be careful this morning of dammafe around the city, downed trees and wires etc. Another hot one today and more strong storms possible tonight.

We’re still under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and an Air Quailty Alert.

The city has a press release about last night’s storm:

TREES DOWN, DAMAGE TO HOMES, POWER OUTAGES IN SEVERAL PROVIDENCE NEIGHBORHOODS

School delayed one hour; emergency workers responding

June 9, 2011

PROVIDENCE RI – High velocity straight-line winds of 50-75 mph that accompanied thunderstorms early this morning uprooted and knocked down trees, flooded roads and damaged homes in several parts of Providence.

The following neighborhoods were affected by thunderstorms and straight-line winds that crossed into Providence around 3:30AM Thursday:

  • Cranston Street, Huntington Avenue and Niantic Avenue, Dupont Drive area
  • West Elmwood area, Melrose Street, and the Reservoir Triangle
  • Atwells Avenue, Broadway at Service Road #7 and #8
  • Silver Lake: Form Union Avenue, Webster Avenue to Terrace and Pocasset and Plainfield Streets

Type Damage: No reported injuries, trees down, flooded roads, moderate damage to some houses (roofs damaged by fallen trees / roofs blown off).

Power: 3,000 customers are without power. National Grid is already out doing repairs. Most customers are expected to have power back by 9AM, but some could go without power for longer.

Schools: Providence Schools will have a 1-hour delay.

Issues: Early morning rush-hour traffic will be problematic in some parts of the city due to impassable roads. The Providence Department of Public Works and the Parks Department’s Forestry Division are removing trees. Contract trees crew are being recalled.

Emergency Numbers:

  • Stayed tuned to local broadcasts for information on storm related updates.
  • If power outages occur, contact National Grid at 1-800-322-3223.
  • Do not touch any downed utility lines and report them to the Fire Department at 274-3344.
  • For trees that are not posing a safety hazard, contact the Parks Department Forestry Division at 785-9450.
  • In the event of an emergency, call 911.

Safety: Citizens are advised to stay away from downed power lines. Motorists should drive through standing water. Avoid damage areas if commuting.

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

3 comments

  • Traffic lights are out at Atwells and Dean, Atwells and the Service, Broadway and the Service Road and other areas. Be careful walking out there folks.

  • From the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism:

    Attention artists and craftsman: The forestry division took down an enormous beech tree in Roger Williams Park. There is a very large and beautiful trunk remaining that they would love to give away for someone to use. If you are interested, call Doug Still @PVD Parks Dept ASAP: 785-9450 x270

  • When you highlight the images the captions suggest that you did all that damage last night, like you were on some murderous rampage.

    On the storm note, I have five broken window panes from last night. Boooooo.

Providence, RI
50°
Rain
6:33 am7:07 pm EDT
Feels like: 48°F
Wind: 4mph NE
Humidity: 96%
Pressure: 29.96"Hg
UV index: 0
FriSatSun
50°F / 36°F
55°F / 37°F
57°F / 34°F