Roughly 2,680 in Coventry and more than 180,000 homes across the state are in the dark at this hour as the blizzard of 2013 begins to dissipate. About 2,400 of the outages in the Coventry area are in the Pulaski St./West Warwick/Centerville area and have been out since Friday evening.
With snowfall increasing and winds picking up before midnight, power outages began to spring up across the state as Rhode Island was hit by the worst of the blizzard. According to National Grid's power outage map, more than 187,000 Rhode Islanders are without power as of Saturday morning and many may be in the dark for days as restoration efforts are underway.
A travel ban ordered by Governor Chafee is still in effect and pertains to not only major highways, but local roadways as well. The governor said the move is temporary, giving crews time to clear streets and highways and to allow National Grid workers to restore power.
"Stay off the streets. Please stay off the streets," Chafee said. "All Rhode Islanders stay off the streets."
National Grid urges customers to be patient while crews work to restore power. Report any power outages to National Grid at 1-800-465-1212.
Coventry Patch Facebook users have reported snowfall amounts ranging from 20 inches in the Hopkins Hill area to 30 inches in Western Coventry with light snow still falling.
Apart from travel restrictions and power outages, a State of Emergency is still in effect for the state and the U.S. Postal Service has announced there will be no mail delivery today in Southern New England.