This story was updated at 6:17 p.m. Friday.
Flooding and high winds that have left than 50,000 customers without power lingered through Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The most dangerous flooding — streams and creeks that can wash out roads without warning — has passed, said Scott Whittier, warning coordination meteorologist for NWS. But northern and central Vermont remain under a flood warning as larger rivers begin to crest, like the Missisquoi, Winooski, Otter Creek and Lamoille River.
Record-level flooding in North Troy, and Johnson, were coming close to cresting as of 11 a.m. Friday. Waterbury was also experiencing flooding, Whittier said, and peak high water levels in Essex are expected Friday night.
On Thursday, 3.3 inches of rain was recorded in Burlington, according to the National Weather Service, which also recorded a 40 mph wind gust. Elsewhere in the state, rainfall ranged from 2.5 to 4 inches and gusts of 45 mph were recorded in several locations, the weather service said.
At 4:45 p.m., Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo reported that Verizon cell service had been down for an hour and there was no indication of when it would be repaired. He said emergencies should be reported via landlines or other cell service providers.
Gov. Phil Scott advised Vermonters to stay safe and avoid flooded roads and downed power lines at a press conference on Friday afternoon. He said emergency responders and officials had been working since 6 a.m. to handle bad roads and outages, but said he would not yet declare an emergency.
“I don’t believe we’ve had time to assess the damage,” he said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York declared a state of emergency in 11 counties, including Essex, on the border of Vermont.
The Agency of Transportation lists 25 road closures due to flooding as of 3:20 p.m. Friday on its website after a peak of 30 closures around noon. A spokesperson for Vermont’s swiftwater rescue team said emergency crews have had to rescue Vermonters at least nine times since the rain started Thursday night. No injuries were reported.
“In one case, they were driving to work and went down into a ditch where the road was washed out,” said Mark Bosma, a spokesperson for Vermont Emergency Management. He cautioned Vermonters to follow road signs and avoid driving through flooded areas.
Farmers at the Intervale Center in Burlington asked for volunteers to rapidly harvest produce from the ground before the rising water hits the floodplain, said Anson Tebbetts, secretary of agriculture.
As of 3:20 p.m., 24,000 customers of Green Mountain Power were without power, after hitting a peak of 44,000 earlier in the day.
Mari McClure of Green Mountain Power said the company had been tracking and preparing for the storm for days. GMP brought on additional crews to assist with outages, but many crews reported impassable roads that made it difficult to restore power.
Patricia Richards of Washington Electric Co-op said the rural utility provider expected outages to last until Wednesday or Thursday of next week, since there were more than 100 separate outage events. She urged Vermonters to avoid power lines and stay vigilant.
“Check on your neighbors,” she said. “Even if you don’t like them, check on them.”
Rebecca Towne of Vermont Electric Cooperative said the company had restored power to some homes only to have power fail once again.
VEC reported in a press release that as of 5 p.m., 8,150 customers were without power and just under 4,000 had power restored.
Shelters in Newport (Newport Municipal Building, 222 Main St.) and St. Albans (St. Albans Town Educational Center, 169 South Main St.) were opened Friday night for local residents affected by flooding or power outages.
The long, hard rain also soaked the ground last night, making it easier for winds gusting up to 45 mph or more to topple over trees, Whittier said.
“With this wind blowing out of the southwest to west, add in three or four inches of rain, and the roots are not able to withstand it,” Whittier said. The wind advisory was in effect until 5 p.m. Friday.
