Even those ski areas that managed to open Monday shut down early during a day when a powerful East Coast storm pummeled New England with up to six inches of rain and wind gusts at speeds approaching 70 miles per hour. According to poweroutage.us, Maine had nearly 400,000 customers without power Monday afternoon; 250,000 more in Massachusetts.
Jay Peak, Killington, and Sunday River were among the local ski areas that were forced to suspend operations during the day on Monday, when heavy wind and rain helped produce some local flooding. Others, such as Cannon, Pico, and Gunstock, didn’t even bother running the lifts with the grim forecast.
Assessing the damage and loss of snowpack may take some time as well. Mountains such as Saddleback and Bretton Woods suspended operations for Tuesday, citing the unprecedented rains that caused washouts across the region.
The White Mountain Ski Company’s Andrew Drummond posted dramatic video of flooding in nearby Jackson, N.H. A flash flood warning was in effect for the White Mountains region towns of Conway, Lincoln, Tamworth and others. According to the National Weather Service, about 2-4 inches of rain fell in the warned area, and another half-inch was possible before the storm moves out.
