KEENE, NH – A winter storm is passing over the Monadnock Region today already having dumped several inches of snow on the ground Monday morning, and it’s just getting started.

Eversource began reporting widespread outages in the early morning hours, with more than 20,000 customers in the dark before 5:30 am due to tree limbs and downed power lines. Crews have been out restoring power as they can, but it may be a lengthy process.

Southwestern New Hampshire Fire Mutual Aid scanner reports have taken calls for downed trees and power lines in Keene. Should you come across any power lines do not go near them and report them to local police.

Eversource Spokesman William Hinkle said crews have been out since the early morning hours working to restore power to nearly 30 thousand customers. In an email Hinkle said that additional crews and resources are coming in from Massachusetts and Connecticut later this morning to support restoration efforts as hundreds of line, tree and service crews, damage assessors, and other staff work around the clock to clear damage, make repairs, and restore power. Combined with snow already on the trees from recent storms, Hinkle said the additional, heavy wet snow and strong winds in the forecast today will likely cause further damage to the electric system and additional outages.

The Keene Police Department says there are multiple streets within the city that have been closed due to downed trees and wires. They’ve been in contact with Eversource but at this point there’s no time frame for their removal. They’ve shut down Hurricane Road in the area of the Westmoreland Town line, Arch Street in the area of Blackberry Lane, Water Street in the area between Roxbury Street and Wilber Street, Maple Avenue from Court Street to Melody Lane, and Kennedy Drive.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 10:00 tonight and WKBK Staff Meteorologist Pat Pagano is expecting additional snow accumulations of 3-6 inches to fall today, with snow ending tonight. Looking ahead to later in the week, Pagano is predicting more snow beginning on Wednesday and or a wintry mix tapering off on Thursday. He will update that later in the week.

The National Weather Service is predicting wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour to go along with the snow. The roads are slick, and crews are out treating them as they can, but drivers should use caution.

Today’s storm has prompted a mix of school closures and remote learning days today, a full list of local closures is available here.