Because this is 2020, Christmas Eve and Day will be treacherous.
Winds will blow from 25 to 35 miles an hour; gusts may howl past 50. The strongest gusts are expected between 2 and 9 a.m.
Rain will pour down — 2 to 4 inches. It will be heaviest in the predawn hours.
With temperatures in the 50s, that means tons of melting snow.
So be prepared for flooding and wet basements, along with downed trees, flying furniture and (of course) power outages.
Sconset Square prepares for Deadman’s Brook to overflow. (Photo/Mark Mathias)
Westport will open its emergency operations center at Fire Department headquarters at 6 p.m. That mirrors Eversource’s start time for their on-call apparatus. They’ve already called in out-of-state help.
Could this be a repeat of Tropical Storm Isaias 4 months ago?
Back then, trees were in full leaf. They acted like sails on a boat, causing most of the uprooted damage.
This time it’s the weakened trees that will fall. Most of the damage this time will come from weak branches that fall — and pine trees.
Be safe. Be smart. And charge your devices.
Merry Christmas!