WESTPORT — As the winter storm that began moving across the region Thursday night continues to buffet the area with rain and gusty winds Friday morning, problems are beginning to pile up.

As a powerful cold front moves into the region from about 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service, in a “Special Weather Statement,” warns heavy rain, driven by winds of 40 to 50 mph and possible lightning, will usher in sharply colder temperatures falling to 10 to 15 degrees by evening.

Westport public schools, operating on an early-dismissal schedule at the start of the Christmas recess, issued a statement alerting parents that buses may be delayed Friday afternoon because of roads blocked by fallen trees and power lines around town. 

• As of 8 a.m., the Westport and the rest of southwestern Connecticut are under a coastal flood warning until 1 p.m., and the town’s Emergency Management Team has issued an alert for people to move their vehicles from shoreline and low-lying areas.

• Compo Road South, near Rockland Place, is closed to traffic, where a tree has fallen, taking down power lines.

• Cross Highway, between Bayberry Lane and Sturges Highway, is off limits to traffic, where a tree took down power lines.

• Morningside Drive South, near Clapboard Hill Road, also is blocked by a tree that took down power lines.
• Turkey Hill Road South, between Clapboard Hill and Arrowhead roads, is closed to traffic by power lines felled by a tree.

• As of 10 a.m., about 720 Eversource customers were reported without power, about the same number that had lost service about four hours earlier.

• Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven line is reporting service delays of at least 10 to 15 minutes because of “flooding and high winds.”

Emergency information

A list of emergency contact information for Westport, assembled by the local Emergency Management Team, can be found here.

Power outages can be reported online at Eversource.com or by calling 800-286-2000. Customers who signed up for the power company’s two-way texting feature can send a text to report an outage and receive outage updates as they happen.