NORTH ANDOVER — Neighborhoods of the Merrimack Valley were hit by heavy rain and high winds Friday afternoon that lasted for more than an hour, forcing drivers to seek cover while the violent weather also closed roads, downed trees and wires, and left thousands of homes and businesses without electricity.
Police and fire departments scrambled to react to the storm, as streets flooded and trees toppled.
Andover appears to have borne the brunt of the damage, with the town sending out a statement after 9 p.m. advising residents that the impact of the storm could linger into next week.
“Several major roads and secondary roads continue to be impassable as a result of downed trees or tree limbs,” said the message from Town Manager Andrew Flanagan. “Further, there are widespread reports of downed live wires across roads and sidewalks. Most of Andover’s residents and businesses are without power.
“We expect that unsafe conditions will continue into Saturday and Sunday. We appreciate the community’s understanding that the impacts from this storm, including power outages, will last multiple days. The duration of these impacts will be assessed as information becomes available.”
Area police departments were deluged with calls coming in on emergency lines.
A car was reported stuck under a tree at 3:55 p.m. on Route 125, forcing the road to be shut down.
Haverhill also saw trees and wires down on 10th Avenue.
A tree around 130 Shawsheen Road in Andover fell, blocking both sides of the busy thoroughfare. Police barricaded the road to keep the public away.
Residents of the TGM Andover Park apartments in Lawrence worked to remove debris and downed trees from the entrance to the complex.
Another nearby downed tree caused High Street to be completely impassable and backing up traffic.
“It’s very surprising,” said Ritika Jain, who lives directly across from the downed tree on High Street. “All of a sudden without warning.”
“I didn’t expect such a big tree to fall down,” added Aarush Jain, 13.
Earlier, Andover posted an emergency alert on its website and on social media urging residents to stay indoors until the situation improves and if travel is necessary to use “extreme caution.”
The town stated that 911 calls were being “prioritized based on life and safety.”
Around 11,000 customers in Andover, 2,500 in North Andover and 6,400 in Lawrence lost power at about 3:45 p.m., according to National Grid. The Eagle-Tribune building, at 100 Turnpike St., North Andover, was among those without power, interrupting the printing of the weekend edition of the newspaper.
While Lawrence received little flooding, Fire Chief Brian Moriarty reported “numerous trees and wires down” and a building fire on Sunset Street resulting from the storm.
He said the fire was extinguished but not before causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. He added it was “salvageable” and going to “need some work.” Moriarty said the fire was caused when a tree came down on a wire.
He added that the department received mutual aid from Lowell and Methuen fire departments.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 3:35 p.m.
“At 3:10 p.m. EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Pelham to North Andover to near Weston, moving northeast at 45 mph,” the alert said.
The warning said to expect up to 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail. The impact from the hail could cause damage to vehicles, and wind damage could be expected to roofs, siding and trees.
“For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building,” the alert said. “Torrential rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.”
The storm warning encompassed Middlesex and Essex counties.