Storm, high winds hit Cummington, Plainfield hard

By SAMUEL GELINAS

Staff Writer

Published: 02-17-2025 4:20 PM

CUMMINGTON — Power lines are down, at least 85% of residents and businesses are without power, and a one-mile stretch of Route 9 is closed between Packard and West Cummington roads after wind gusts of over 60 mph swept through the town on Monday.

Utility crews from Eversource and Verizon were working to restore power throughout the day Monday, especially along Route 9, where trees and power lines fell just before 9 a.m., according to Cummington Police.

A high wind warning, which was in effect Monday, is expected to continue until 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

By 4 p.m. Monday, Eversource reported estimates that 487 of its 579 Cummington customers remained without power. In Plainfield, crews were working to restore power to 327 of 396 customers, while another 67 customers in Chesterfield were without power.

In Cummington, the stretch of Route 9, between Packard and West Cummington roads, will remain closed while repairs are made, Police Chief Michael Perkins said Monday.

He advises motorists to take care while driving in town and to avoid the road closure. Passenger vehicles can easily travel on West Cummington Road, but trucks and tractor-trailers can not, the chief said.

“We’re working to restore roadway access as soon as possible with the town’s utility partners,” Perkins said. “High winds will definitely affect that timeline. We appreciate drivers’ patience.”

As of 2:30 p.m. Monday, Perkins said he “wouldn’t even begin to speculate” when power would be restored and the road reopened, but he said that crews are working to bring more resources to the scene.

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To check or report power outages, visit Eversource’s outage map at https://outagemap.eversource.com.

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.