Darien Power Outages Drop Below 100

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6:41 a.m.: 

Just 88 customers, or 1 percent of town, are still without power at the moment, according to CL&P.

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TUESDAY, NOV. 1

4:43 p.m.:

As of 4:15 p.m., 225 CL&P customers were without power in Darien, according to First Selectman Dave Campbell. (CL&P's outage map is — believe it or not — down.)

"CL&P will continue through the night to restore power," Campbell said in a phone message to residents. "If you have a power line that has been pulled off your house, you need to call a licensed electrician before CL&P can restore your power."

"Thankfully, this should be the last time you hear from me," Campbell added.

12:47 p.m.:

From reader Lisa Haas:

Sunset Road lost power this morning. No word from CL&P what caused the outage or estimate of when power will return.

11:27 a.m.: 

Outages are now down to 363 across town, or 4 percent.

8:03 a.m.:

490 CL&P customers are without power this morning in Darien — or about 6 percent of the town — according to the utility. Statewide, that figure stands at 684,000, or 55 percent.

Estimates released Tuesday by CL&P indicate that 99 percent of Darien customers should have power restored by 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

1:03 a.m.:

The number of outages in Darien is now down to 511 (6 percent of town), according to CL&P.

Statewide, the picture far more grim: 703,000 homes and businesses — or 56 percent of CL&P's customer base — are still without power.

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MONDAY, OCT. 31

5:22 p.m.:

The number of customers without power in Darien has dropped to 794, or about 10 percent of town, according to CL&P.

With Darien's Halloween observances still on, it's worth keeping the following safety tips in mind (via CL&P), as there are plenty of fallen trees and wires still out there:

• Accompany children while trick-or-treating to help them avoid any potentially dangerous situations.  
• Be on the watch for downed lines that may be unseen and obscured by fallen limbs or snow. 
• Consider every downed line to be live and dangerous.
• Always stay at least 10 feet away from the downed wire.  

4:04 p.m.:

From reader Bruce Fagerstrom:

Fairfield Avenue is clear, no downed wires or trees, just no power! We heard the boom when the power went at 2:30 on Saturday. Transformer maybe?

2:10 p.m.:

According to first selectman Dave Campbell, the following areas are expected to have power restored this afternoon:

• 122 homes along and near Birch Road (including homes on Sylvan Road and Point O' Woods Road)
• 117 homes along Brookside Road
• Salisbury Road, Hickory Lane, Andrews Drive, and Arrowhead Way

848 Darien customers (10 percent) are still without power at the moment, according to CL&P.

11:08 a.m.:

Two readers have sent in reports in the past hour of additional road hazards in town.

According to John Lamendola, Patton Drive was blocked by a downed wire at the end of the street as of 10 a.m.

"The school bus cannot come down it because it wouldn't be able to turn around," Lamendola wrote.

Carol Rooney, meanwhile, sent in the above photo of a branch hanging on wires at Intervale Road.

"While there is stlll no power on Intervale and Forest roads, all other neighborhood streets are powered up," Rooney wrote. "Lends a whole new scariness to Halloween."

The number of Darien customers without power has ticked down to 938, according to CL&P.

9:42 a.m.:

First Selectman Dave Campbell reports that Darien's roads have been cleared of storm debris and that crews are now focusing on removing brush from the town's sidewalks.

The number of CL&P customers without power has climbed slightly in the past hour to 1,030, or 13 percent of town.

9:15 a.m.: 

The number of Darien CL&P customers without power is holding steady at 1,018 (12 percent). The good news? The forecast for the next few days is pretty rosy, according to the National Weather Service:

• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Calm wind becoming southeast between 4 and 7 mph. 
• Monday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. East wind between 6 and 8 mph. 
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Northeast wind between 10 and 13 mph. 
• Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. North wind between 7 and 9 mph. 
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 56. North wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm. 
• Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.

6:41 a.m.:

Good morning. As reported Sunday, are opening 90 minutes late today in the wake of the weekend's damaging nor'easter. For reference, here's the adjusted opening schedule:

• : 9:10 a.m.
• : 9:25 a.m.
• , , and schools: 9:55 a.m.
• and schools: 10:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, some 1,010 Darien customers — or 12 percent of town — are without power at the moment, according to CL&P.

Overall, more than 750,000 of the homes and businesses served by the utility statewide are still in the dark. Many towns in the northern part of the state have experienced total outages.

Metro-North is operating on a normal schedule along the New Haven Line this morning, though bus service remains in effect on the Danbury Branch.

And for those of you without power, the is open to the community today for hot showers and cell phone/laptop charging. The is also open and fully powered.

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SUNDAY, OCT. 30

9:08 p.m.:

Metro-North expects to operate on a normal schedule along the New Haven Line Monday morning. Bus service will remain in effect on the Danbury Branch, however.

As of the moment, CL&P shows 1,011 Darien customers without power.

8:30 p.m.:

The will be open to the community as of 6:30 a.m. Monday for hot showers and cell phone/laptop charging.

Meanwhile, the number of CL&P customers without power in Darien has dropped to 1,160, or about 14 percent of town.

6:14 p.m.:

Darien Public Schools are set to open 90 minutes late Monday, according to an email from superintendent Stephen Falcone.

Some 1,505 Darien customers are currently still without power, according to CL&P.

3:24 p.m.:

2,049 Darien customers are without power at the moment, according to CL&P.

1:22 p.m.:

In a phone message to residents, First Selectman Dave Campbell said that CL&P expects to restore power this afternoon to a significant percentage of Darien customers in the dark, who currently number 2,092.

"This afternoon, we expect 650 homes off of Post Road, 260 home in the Park Place/Maple Street area, and 150 homes in the Goodwives River area to be restored," Campbell said.

He added that supertindent Stephen Falcone will update residents on Monday's school status this afternoon.

"As the day progresses, we will monitor to see if there's a need for a warming center. … If you're a aware of an elderly neighbor, please check on them," Campbell said.

In case you're among those without power, the Darien Library will be open until 10 p.m. tonight, reprising its role from August .

10:38 a.m.:

Patch's David Gurliacci shared this account early Saturday evening:

On Hillside Avenue a large branch has been on the on the roadway since about 2 p.m. and a possible live electrical wire, as well. Yet drivers have twice left their vehicles and moved the branch out of the way to continue on up the road. Orange cones have been put on the road, and they've been removed. The tree branch has been put back over the road to discourage drivers from going through, but drivers have pushed the branch to the side again. Unless they're blocked, Hollow Tree Ridge Road or Anthony Lane would be safer routes. After a police officer arrived at Hillside Avenue, just south of its intersection with Anthony Lane, on a report of a downed electrical wire, the large tree branch fell, partly on the cruiser. It caused a small amount of damage, including smashing the driver's side window while the officer was in the car. Although the officer had plenty of glass on him, he said he was unhurt.

10:29 a.m.:

CL&P is warning that some of its customers may be in the dark for up to a week or more, as the utility experiences its highest-ever level of outages (just two months after Irene, no less).

At this hour, some 2,032 Darien customers — a quarter of the town — are reportedly without power, which is down slightly from earlier this morning.

7:11 a.m.:

At least two closings/cancelations have been reported so far in Darien:

• All DJFL and FCFL tackle football games are canceled.
• Religious Ed classes at St. Thomas More Church are canceled.

On the plus side, the is set to open at 1 p.m. and "will stay open past our normally scheduled closing time of 5 p.m. if many homes in Darien continue without power."

If you have a weather-related scheduling change to share, post it in the comments or email johnd@patch.com. (And if you operate a restaurant in Darien that's open for business, spread the word here as well.)

6:42 a.m.: 

Good morning. About 2,157 Darien customers — or 27 percent — are still without power at the moment, according to CL&P. That's down significantly from Saturday's peak, but some 720,000 of the utility's customers are still powerless statewide.

Fallen trees and downed power lines were still blocking a number of streets across Darien Sunday morning. The town's road closure map recorded 41 such incidents by the end of the storm.

The National Weather Service warns of slick road conditions as temperatures hover around the freezing point early Sunday. The good news on the weather front: highs are expected to reach 47° this afternoon with sunny conditions.

As for the historic nature of Saturday's storm, NBC Connecticut meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan put it this way on his blog, Way Too Much Weather: "Can’t recall a snowstorm that produced this much damage or was so anomalous for the time of year. This is a once in several hundred year event."

If you have any damage reports, snowfall totals, or snow photos you'd like to share, post them to this story or email johnd@patch.com.

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SATURDAY, OCT. 29

6:01 p.m.:

The number of customers without power in Darien has shot up to 3,480 — or 44 percent of town — according to CL&P. That's out of some 320,000 customers in the dark statewide.

Meanwhile, dozens of streets are blocked by downed trees and power lines, including sections of Post Road, Hoyt Street, Noroton Avenue, and other major thoroughfares. Here's the complete list.

DPW crews are out in force, but the general condition of roads continues to deteriorate, as wet, slushy snow builds up. Tonight is expected to bring still more accumulation and high winds.

4:35 p.m.: 

The National Weather Service has upped its snowfall projection for lower Fairfield County to 10-14". A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 a.m. Sunday.

4:17 p.m.:

The town's road closures list is showing 22 different downed trees and power lines — a tally that seems likely to grow as the storm continues to drop more snow.

Meanwhile, some 2,449 customers — or 31 percent of town — are without power in Darien at this hour, according to CL&P.

3:39 p.m.: 

We can barely keep up: now some 2,036 are without power.

3:31 p.m.: 

Some 1,423 Darien customers — or 18 percent of town — are without power at the moment, according to CL&P.

3:25 p.m.:

First Selectman Dave Campbell confirms what many Darien residents are already experiencing firsthand: trees are coming down under the weight of snow, and power is cutting out all over town.

"Nobody should be out. People should be home. It's only going to get worse," Campbell said.

Campbell said that crews — including some temporary workers — are out addressing fallen trees and clearing roads as best as possible.

"We're trying to stay up with it. The concern now is really the wind," he added.

The town may order residents off the roads if winds pick up, Campbell said, as forecasts say they might. The National Weather Service is predicting gusts as high as 55 mph Saturday evening.

If the situation becomes extreme, he added, CL&P may opt to shut off power across town to prevent additional electrical fires.

3:06 p.m.:

968 customers — or 12 percent — are now without power in Darien, according to CL&P.

2:41 p.m.:

Make that 735 — or 9 percent of Darien customers — now without power.

2:22 p.m.:

Some 553 customers — or 7 percent of town — are currently without power in Darien as the heavy, wet snow falling across the area begins to take its toll on power lines and trees.

The Darien Police Department is advising residents to suspend all non-essential travel due to treacherous road conditions.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has upgraded its projected snowfall projections yet again and is now calling for 8-12" of accumulation across Southern Fairfield county.

A winter storm warning is now in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday.

8:13 a.m.:

The National Weather Service has upgraded its projected snowfall total for lower Fairfield County and surrounding areas to 4-8 inches.

"Rain will develop this morning and could become heavy at times," the service warns. "The rain will then mix with snow this afternoon and then change to all snow north of the Merritt Parkway late this afternoon, and closer to the coast after dark. The snow may be moderate to locally heavy at times before tapering off later tonight."

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FRIDAY, OCT. 28

7:05 p.m.

There may be eight weeks of Fall left, but if forecasts hold, Fairfield County could be hit with as much as six inches of snow by Sunday morning.

The latest advisory from the National Weather Service calls for some 3-6" of wet snow across southern Fairfield County and surrounding areas over the weekend.

"A mixture of rain and snow develops after daybreak on Saturday, then changes to snow Saturday evening," according to forecasters. "The snow will then taper off later Saturday night."

Sustained winds of 22 to 28 mph are also expected Saturday night, with gusts of up to 47 mph.

The NWS warns of "widespread hazardous travel conditions" and "local outages … due to falling tree limbs laden with heavy, wet snow."

"Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving," the service advises.

Below is the National Weather Service forecast for Darien as of 6:45 p.m. Friday:

• Friday night: Cloudy, with a low around 40. North wind between 5 and 9 mph. 
• Saturday: Rain, mainly after 11 a.m. Temperature falling to around 35 by 5 p.m. Breezy, with a east wind between 16 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. 
• Saturday night: Rain and snow before 2 a.m., then a chance of snow. Low around 33. Windy, with a north wind between 22 and 28 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 6 inches possible. 
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Breezy, with a north wind between 18 and 21 mph.