Which areas of Eastern Massachusetts are prone to long power outages? (Boston: 2013, maintenance)

[Gauss44]

I would like to move outside of Boston Proper to somewhere along the commuter rail, maybe Acton, and was wondering which areas are (or are not) prone to long power outages, particularly after snow storms?

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Gauss44

I would like to move outside of Boston Proper to somewhere along the commuter rail, maybe Acton, and was wondering which areas are (or are not) prone to long power outages, particularly after snow storms?

I have lived in Acton over a decade. I have only experienced one power outage that lasted a few days. It was one of those big blizzards from several years ago where at least a third of New England seemed to be power off. Our area seemed to get the power on sooner than many others who were left in the dark for weeks.

[western mass and love it]

As a resident who has lived in both Eastern and Western Mass for roughly 20 years each end, I can only remember 2 times being without power for more than a few hours. In eastern mass it was due to an ice storm that wreaked havoc on the area. And in Western Mass it was a rare October snowstorm that caused all the tree limbs to become over weighed and snap off due to the leaves still being on the trees.

[mdovell]

I live on the south shore and frankly I think the storms have become significantly worse in the past decade. I remember it wasn't that long ago that hardly anyone had a snowblower. Now half the block has one. Inches of snow are one thing...12+ are another.

You might want to talk to some in towns...maybe a dpw or planner. In some cases it can be part of a town rather than all of it. Also consider road access can be a factor.

[n1ey]

Originally Posted by mdovell

I live on the south shore and frankly I think the storms have become significantly worse in the past decade. I remember it wasn't that long ago that hardly anyone had a snowblower. Now half the block has one. Inches of snow are one thing...12+ are another.

You might want to talk to some in towns...maybe a dpw or planner. In some cases it can be part of a town rather than all of it. Also consider road access can be a factor.

You aren't a real old-timer. We hardly have snow. Prior to 1980 we used to get snow. Most of the time we hardly get a dusting when other places pack 6". Only the last 3 out of 5 years featured some good snowfall during certain storms on the South Shore. The the yearly accumulations are still not near the highs. The recording methodology at Logan airport changed. Many refer to the year of 1980 as the start of the Great Snow Drought.

Regardless, the practices in repairing the grid have changed. I believe that they actually de-energized a good portion of Whitman and Abington to repair a segment instead of working on it live during the snowstorm of 2013. The towns with municipal plants seem to handle line maintenance without any issue or failures. This should be considered very carefully and the work of major private considers should be viewed in light of such.

The quality is not the same while they still have some of the highest number of linemen per mile available within the nation.

Bill