Updated at 8:32 p.m.
As the brunt of Tropical Depression Debby hit Vermont on Friday evening, more than 48,000 customers had lost power around 8:30 p.m.
VT Outages, which tracks utilities statewide, reported the highest number of blackouts in Hinesburg, Colchester and Williston. The National Weather Service in Burlington detected gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour.
Heavy rain first arrived in Vermont overnight Thursday, as remnants of Debby, originally a hurricane, moved in from the south and west, dropping up to 2 inches of rain in some northern and central parts of the state.
The storm prompted tornado and flood warnings across Vermont. It also led President Joe Biden to issue a federal disaster declaration for Vermont on Friday morning, promising relief and reimbursement to certain counties.
While much of the state stayed dry earlier in the day, heavy rain picked up in the afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for much of the western half of the state, with a high wind warning in northwestern Vermont active until 10 p.m.
Conor Lahiff, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Burlington office, said “the threat of flooding had decreased,” with rain already starting to leave Vermont as of 8 p.m. “But unfortunately, as the rain moved out, we still had some strong winds.”
The northern Champlain Valley was experiencing the highest winds at “just over 60 miles per hour,” he said, but much of the state had seen winds of 40 or 50 miles per hour.
According to Lahiff, the winds were already decreasing, and he expected them to drop to 20 miles per hour by 10 p.m.
Vermont Emergency Management had not heard of any flood related damage but received reports of road closures in Addison County, according to spokesperson Mark Bosma.
The Middlebury Police Department reported a debris-related road closure on Route 116. Route 100 near Warren Falls was shut down due to trees on the road, according to Vermont State Police.
