Winter Storm Knocks Out Power to Tens of Thousands From Ohio to Maine; Schools Closed

 Ron Brackett

Published: December 1, 2020

A winter storm has forced schools to close, shut down roads and left tens of thousands without power from the Great Lakes to the Eastern Seaboard.

Nearly 63,000 homes and businesses in Ohio had no power as of Tuesday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us. More than 50,000 customers in Maine were still without electricity Tuesday afternoon, down from twice that many Tuesday morning.

Dubbed Winter Storm Dane by The Weather Channel, the system has dumped more than a foot of snow in Geauga County in the past 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Cuyahoga County saw 10 inches of snow. Counties across Northeast Ohio declared snow emergencies.

It wasn't immediately clear if the weather was a factor when 10 cars derailed from a Norfolk Southern train about 1 p.m. Tuesday EST in Amherst, Ohio.

Amherst Mayor Mark Costilow told the Chronicle grain spilled across the tracks when the cars derailed. He said Norfolk Southern Railroad declined assistance from the fire department. WJW reported there was no hazardous material involved.

No injuries were reported among the train crew, Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Rachel McDonnell Bradshaw said in a statement. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, she said. The train, carrying mixed freight, was traveling from Elkhart, Indiana, to Binghamton, New York.

Schools across the state closed Tuesday and some said they would remain closed Wednesday, according to WOIO-TV.

The Fire Department in Chardon, about 25 miles northeast of Cleveland, said trees and electrical wires were down all over Geauga County. Some of the downed lines had sparked fires.

(MORE: How Much Snow Can You Expect From Winter Storm Dane?)

"Fallen limbs may end up covered in snow on roadways. Do not go out today unless you absolutely must," the department said in a tweet.

The Ohio Department of Transportation said it had more than 1,100 snowplow crews on the state's roads. The department reported near white-out conditions in some places, WEWS-TV reported.

Wind was a big problem in Maine, where gusts uprooted trees and sent them crashing into houses and across roads.

An Amtrak train was delayed for three hours after debris fell on the tracks near Saco, Maine, about 14 miles southwest of Portland, WMTW-TV reported. Flights at the Portland International Jetport were diverted, delayed or canceled as well because of the weather.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.