Mayor Urges Caution Ahead of Upcoming Storm: Avoid Downed Wires, Report Outages

Storm could bring strong winds, heavy rain into Wednesday

New Bedford, Massachusetts – A heavy storm could bring gusting winds and several inches of rain that could lead to power outages and downed trees in the city and across southern Bristol County this evening into Wednesday, New Bedford Emergency Management said.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for New Bedford and southern Bristol County and cautioned that travel could be difficult this evening. Spot flooding could occur on some roads and low-lying areas.

Eversource encourages residents to report any power outages directly to Eversource at 1-800-592-2000.  Anyone who encounters a downed power line should treat it as live and stay clear of the area. If the downed line poses a threat to public safety, residents should call 911. See outages for New Bedford and the region at: https://outagemap.eversource.com/external/default.html

Residents are advised to safely contain lawn furniture or outdoor items, and ensure pets are inside during the storm.

Project Beacon’s appointment-based COVID-19 testing at New Bedford Regional Airport, 1569 Airport Road, will close at 4 p.m. today because of the weather. Anyone with an appointment scheduled for after 4 p.m. will be able to reschedule. Normal testing hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.