Power outages, a scaffolding collapse, and downed trees mark wild windstorm

A howling windstorm that brought upwards of 50 mile-per-hour wind gusts to much of Massachusetts Monday night left behind a trail of havoc, from power outages to downed trees and other damages.

In Boston, a seven-story scaffolding set, approximately 200 to 250 feet long, was “dislodged because of the wind” at a construction site on St. Alphonosus Street around 11 p.m., Boston Deputy Fire Chief Pat Nichols told WHDH.

“There was a significant amount of debris in the street,” Nichols said.

No one was around the site when the scaffolding fell, he said. No injuries were reported.

“It’s very fortunate that nobody was hurt,” Nichols told the station. “It could have been a lot worse if there was anybody around.”

The sun is rising & we’re getting a better look at the scaffolding collapse in Roxbury, due to high winds overnight. @wbznewsradio pic.twitter.com/LxpL9s9hZc

— James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) March 2, 2021

In other pockets of the Bay State, trees came crashing down due to the high winds.

A large tree has fallen blocking the driveway of Avalon Oaks apartment complex in North Wilmington. Avalon maintenance has been notified and are responding to remove the tree. At this time, there is no vehicle access in or out of the complex. #WilmingtonMA pic.twitter.com/r3BiG37VpG

— Wilmington MA Police (@WilmingtonMAPD) March 2, 2021

In Haverhill, one tree landed on Devon Cunningham’s home, according to WHDH.

Cunningham said two tree limbs poked through his roof and into the residence after the fall.

“It was shocking,” his son, Phillip Cunningham, told the news outlet. “I walked out the bathroom and the next thing I know I hear a boom and I walked in the bathroom and there’s a big dent in the wall. It was pretty shocking.”

No one was injured and the family is grateful for that, according to WHDH.

“The house can be replaced. The cars can be replaced,” Devon Cunningham said. “But you can’t replace someone’s life.”

The wind also knocked off power in some communities. As of 8:47 a.m. Tuesday, over 37,000 customers were without power across the state, according to an online outage map maintained by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

National Weather Service data indicated the highest peak wind gusts in the state as of 8 a.m. were recorded at Mt. Tom in Holyoke at 78 miles per hour and in Provincetown at 76 miles per hour. At Boston’s Carson Beach, winds peaked at 63 miles per hour.

Provincetown with a 76mph gust this morning. Here’s a list of other Peak gusts… https://t.co/EvIMFi0JLd

— Chris Lambert (@clamberton7) March 2, 2021

The wind also made for some frigid wind chill values across the region with a low of -11 degrees recorded in Fitchburg, according the NWS.

[615 AM] Good morning everyone, here’s a look at the current wind chill values across Southern New England. #mawx #ctwx #riwx #cold pic.twitter.com/Fz25p0GOdo

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) March 2, 2021

Still, that was rather balmy compared to conditions atop New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington. At 7 a.m., the NWS reported a wind chill of -80 degrees with over 100 mile-per-hour wind speeds.

[7 AM] It is a cold morning across New England but check out the current conditions at the top of Mt Washington. -80°F wind chill with over 100 mph wind!? pic.twitter.com/g4M2Mjr0zG

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) March 2, 2021