The big dig out is getting underway and an army of utility line crews from New Hampshire and elsewhere are fanning out this morning after an estimated 88% of Cape Cod lost power in the Blizzard of 2026. Scroll down this article through the day for continuing storm coverage.
8:15 AM update: Power outages actually ticked up overnight to 158,803 customers as of this hour. As we reported above with improved conditions, an army of line crews are out beginning the arduous task of restoring power. Travel is still strongly discouraged. Keep off the roads so crews can clear the snow and get to emergencies as quickly and easily as possible.
From Barnstable Fire: During the recent blizzard, the Barnstable Fire Department responded to 32 emergency calls over a demanding 34-hour period. Despite hazardous conditions, our dedicated members worked tirelessly to provide the highest level of service to our residents when it mattered most.
Barnstable FIre/CWN
One particularly challenging response occurred during the height of the storm, when a team of four firefighters safely carried an elderly resident from her home, over 500 yards through severe winter conditions, to a department vehicle. She was then transported to a safe location for the duration of the storm. This effort reflects the commitment, compassion, and teamwork our members bring to every call, no matter the circumstances.
Special thanks to our partners at Barnstable Police Department and Town of Barnstable DPW for their help and teamwork during the storm. We would also like to thank our Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers for their tireless work during the storm.
We are proud of the professionalism and dedication shown by our firefighters throughout this storm and we remain ready to assist the residents of the Barnstable Fire District at all times.
Post-Storm Safety Reminders:
• Clear snow and ice from walkways, stairs, and fire hydrants near your home
• Use caution when shoveling, take breaks and know your limits
• Check on elderly neighbors and those who may need assistance
• Ensure heating vents and exhaust pipes are clear of snow
• Use generators and alternative heat sources safely and never indoors
Thank you to our community for your continued support. Stay safe, and please don’t hesitate to call 911 in an emergency, we are always here for you.
A sight for sore eyes! Eversource crews arrive in Sandwich.
From the Town of Sandwich: Good morning, Sandwich,
We are in this together. We know these conditions are challenging. Our crews are working methodically and safely to improve access across town, and we appreciate your continued patience.
Power Restoration Update
A dedicated liaison from Eversource is now in place and working directly with the Town to coordinate restoration efforts.
50% of Sandwich remains without power. The Town has identified a list of priority addresses that will have the greatest population impact as power is restored. Restoration will take time, but coordination is actively underway and additional crews are arriving.
Travel Ban Still in Effect
The state travel ban remains in effect in Barnstable County due to hazardous road conditions. Please stay off the roads unless you are traveling to a shelter or responding to an emergency. Conditions remain dangerous in many areas.
Response & Recovery Efforts
The Town has requested assistance from the National Guard and expects to deploy those additional resources this morning to help our crews with snow removal and tree clearing efforts. Our Emergency Management team continues to pursue all available options to responsibly secure additional resources.
Scenes from Brewster:
10:15 AM update: From Wellfleet Police: The Wellfleet Fire Department is open as a warming and charging station. Flushing water is available at the station; please bring your own containers.
Treat all downed wires as live and do not attempt to move them.
We are working with an Eversource liaison at the Emergency Operations Center to prioritize opening roads and restoring power to the most affected areas. Many roads remain impassable due to downed power lines, poles, and trees. Eversource advises that restoration may take 3–5 days.
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, 210 Station Ave., South Yarmouth, is open as a shelter.
If you need assistance, please call the Wellfleet Police Department at 508-349-3702.
Tree down across road in Harwich
From Eastham Police: Currently the town is 100% without power. An Eversource representative has been assigned to our Emergency Operations Center and we are coordinating with them on power restoration. Eversource is expecting full power restoration to take multiple days. Due to a heating problem at Nauset Regional High School, the regional shelter at that location has been closed. The travel ban is still in effect, however anyone traveling to a shelter is exempt from that ban. If you feel like you need to stay at a shelter, and you are capable of driving, you should drive yourself to the regional shelter at Dennis Yarmouth High School. The Eastham Library will be open as a warming center throughout the day today and into this evening. Individuals that want to go to the DY shelter, but are unable to drive, can go to the Eastham Library and transportation to the shelter will be provided from there. If you need transportation to the library, please call our station at (508) 255-2324. Our (508) 255-0551 business line is currently down, so all calls to our station should be made on the 255-2324 line. If you have an emergency, you should still call 911. Due to multiple trees and wires down throughout the town, you should not travel unless you are responding to a shelter or there is an emergency.
Video along Route 6:
12 PM update: Eversource had 156,000 electric customers out on Cape Cod as of late Tuesday morning and had what they called a “significant complement” of restoration crews flooding the area. Nine hundred utility crews were on Cape Cod on Tuesday with several hundred more on the way from around New England and beyond.
Officials said outages could last up to five days in some areas, depending on the amount of damage done to an area.
Governor Maura Healey was expected to visit Cape Cod shelters during the day on Tuesday.
Forecasters said a mix of rain and snow was expected on Wednesday, but they were not expecting any significant accumulation on Cape Cod.
Two main shelters remained open, including the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School and the Barnstable Intermediate School. The CCRTA was busing people from the shelter at Nauset Regional High School, which lost heat during the storm. Multiple warming locations were also open in most Cape Cod towns.
The Steamship Authority resumed service on Tuesday and expected to be back on their regular schedule. The Coast Guard said most of their stations had resumed regular service.
Elder Services of Cape Cod said Meals on Wheels would not be available on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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From Famouth Emergency Prepardness:
The Town of Falmouth remains in the recovery phase following this week’s major winter storm. Town departments and emergency personnel continue to work around the clock to restore services and ensure public safety throughout the community.
Currently, approximately 93% of Falmouth remains without power, and coordination continues with Eversource to expedite restoration across affected neighborhoods.
The Department of Public Works is continuing road-clearing operations to reopen travel routes for essential services and restoration crews. Many roads remain unpassable due to downed trees and wires, and residents are urged to remain off the roads whenever possible to allow plow, public works, and utility vehicles to operate safely and efficiently.
To support residents in need of heat or charging access, ***Due to an equipment issue at the Rec Center, the Warming Center is being moved to Falmouth High School. Use the Front entrance to the school.***
For those requiring overnight accommodation, two Regional Emergency Shelters are currently open to the public:
Barnstable Intermediate School
Dennis-Yarmouth High School
Anyone needing transportation assistance to the Falmouth warming center or one of the regional shelters should contact the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) at 508-385-1430 and select option 2.
The Town of Falmouth appreciates residents’ continued patience and cooperation during this extensive recovery effort. Updates will continue to be shared through Town communication channels and local media as conditions evolve.
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From Dennis Police:
STORM UPDATE / CURRENT SITUATION
Clean-up has already begun from the mess left by the massive snow-storm. Most of the town remains without power, but restoration efforts are underway Cape-wide. Dennis DPW crews are focused on clearing roads, and have been throughout the night. As of 9:00am, there are 78 wires tangled in downed trees and laying across the roadways throughout town. These wires are among the reasons your roads may not be cleared yet. Eversource is in town and presently clearing these hazards. Once the wires are removed, trees will be cut up and roads will be cleared.
ROADWAY UPDATE:
Roads still have inches of compacted snow and ice. We are still asking folks to abide by the travel ban and avoid travel unless absolutely necessary. Currently, there is no gasoline available in town. Seasons on 134 has diesel available, but that’s it. Hopefully fuel will become available in the near future. If you have abandoned a vehicle in the roadway, please make every effort to remove it, or contact the PD to let us know where and why you would need assistance. There is a scattering of abandoned vehicles around town hindering plowing.
SHELTER UPDATE:
Travel to the shelter is considered necessary! If you feel comfortable driving, take it slow and careful going to the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School at 210 Station Ave in South Yarmouth. You are asked to bring at least two-to-three days of medication and hygiene products. If you cannot drive, you can contact the police department business line for assistance. We are working on transportation options.
POLICE DEPT. UPDATE:
Police are currently inundated with shelter operations, law enforcement duties, road hazards, and wellbeing checks. If you are calling requesting a wellbeing check, please understand that these calls may have extended wait times, as travel is slow and accessing some residences is difficult. If you have contact information for neighbors, we encourage you to call them, as they may be able to check faster than we can.
FIRE DEPT. UPDATE:
Fire has responded to a number of calls over the past few days, and have asked that we pass along some safety information. Please do not heat your house with a gas stove or oven. They have also responded to a number of carbon monoxide alarms as a result of portable generators running too close to houses. While you are out clearing snow from your driveway, please shovel out any fire hydrants, as seconds count, and quick access will make a huge difference.
TOWN HALL / MEETING UPDATE
Town Hall is closed today. The transfer station is closed today, as part of its regular schedule. Town Clerk Terri Bunce has informed us that the following meeting scheduled for this evening have been cancelled: – Select Board – Old Kings Highway Regional Historic District Committee -Cemetery Advisory Committee.
Emergency Management will continue to monitor cleanup efforts and coordinate operations as we recover from the storm. We will continue to post updates. Please share this information to help us keep information moving.
1:30 PM update:
Bulletin from Falmouth: ***Due to an equipment issue at the Rec Center, the Warming Center is being moved to Falmouth High School. Use the Front entrance to the school.***
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From Bourne Police: We have some important information about the availability of Emergency Shelters and Warming Centers. If anyone needs transportation to an emergency shelter, there are several options available. If your house and driveway would be accessible by a vehicle, please call the RTA directly at 508-385-1430 and select option 2. They will assist with arranging transport from your residence to an area shelter. If your home and driveway are not accessible by a vehicle, please call the Bourne Police Department Dispatch at 508-759-4451. They will assist in coordinating transportation. Please prepare to bring any medications with you if going to an emergency shelter. Due to capacity limits of the shelters, we ask that only those that truly need sheltering utilizing it.
The Town of Bourne will also have a warming center available from noon today until 5PM at the Bourne Police Station located at 35 Armory Road. It will continue to be open from 8AM to 5PM, until power has been sufficiently restored to the community. A warming center is not a long-term shelter solution and is designed as a location where you can warm up and charge your electronics. Water will be available, but there will not be any food or other services.
Many roads remain snow covered and the DPW is diligently working to restore access to neighborhoods as quickly and safely as possible. Eversource also has many crews out in our community to help bring the electrical grid back online, but recovery of the system is expected to be a multi-day effort.
Please continue to use 9-1-1 for any emergency matters.
Thank-you and be safe.
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From Truro Emergency Management: Truro Emergency Management Team Update:
For emergency needs, a Warming Station is OPEN at the Truro Community Center today 2/24 @ 10:00 am to warm-up and charge devices. Town Offices are CLOSED and the Select Board Meeting is CANCELLED today. There is still a travel ban in place today until 6:00 pm. Eversource estimates power restoration will take 3-5 days.
If there are any emergencies related to the storm, residents are asked to call 911. For non-emergency information and general inquiries, please call the main number 508-487-8730. In the event of a power outage, residents can text OUT to 23129 or call Eversource 1-800-592-2000.
Power restoration efforts in Orleans.
Orleans Police/CWN
2:15 PM update: An aircraft was reported on fire in a hangar at Cape Cod Gateway Airport. Hyannis Fire called for mutual aid to respond. No one was in the plane at the time and no injuries were reporte. It was reported the airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Fire Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle was able to get a quick knockdown on the fire. CWN has reached out to the airport for more details. Update from Airport Manager Michael Nelson: The Hyannis Fire Department and Barnstable Police Department, along with Cape Cod Gateway Airport public safety personnel, responded to a report of smoke and fire at a Cape Air hangar at approximately 2 PM on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
A person inside the hangar at the time of the incident required medical transport from the scene for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Limited damage to the building was reported and the scene was being cleared at approximately 3:30 PM.
The incident remains under investigation. Further inquiries should be directed to the Hyannis Fire Department.
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Eversource held a news conference in Yarmouth to update the restoration efforts:
4 PM update:
Snow scene along Glendon Road in Dennis.
CWN is learning of a possibly storm related tragedy in Sagamore Beach. About 1:45 PM a woman shoveling snow on Canal Street reportedly collapsed. Bystanders performed CPR. Bourne rescuers rushed the victim to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth. No further details were available.
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Eversource reported 164,000 customers out at the peak of the storm. As of 4 PM the number was down to 144,000 customers.
9:00 PM update: A close call in Dennis. Shortly before 8 PM, firefighters were dispatched to a possible structure fire at the Windmill Plaza at 109 Route 28 for a report of smoke on the second floor. An investigation reportedly revealed someone was burning charcoal in a residential area in an attempt to keep warm. Luckily someone reported the odor of smoke and firefighters arrived before someone might have been overcome by potentially deadly carbon monoxide. The charcoal was removed and the area ventilated. Further details were not immediately available.
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Chatham Fire reports that a regional shelter opened at Cape Cod Tech in Harwich at 8 PM. Call the Chatham Emergency Operations Center at (508)945-5191 for transportation assistance. Please remember to bring clothing and important personal items such as medications.
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Eversource continues to make progress without outages down to 127,700 customers as of 9 PM.
11:45 PM update: DETOUR ALERT:
The ramp to Route 25 and the Bourne Bridge from the East Rotary/Buzzards Bay will be closed starting now 10:50 PM 02/24 and continuing for the next several hours while MassDOT clears snow from the roadway. The Bourne Bridge will remain open. If traveling on-Cape from Buzzards Bay/Scenic Highway, please use the Sagamore Bridge. If traveling from this area to Route 25, please continue to Route 25 via Cranberry Hwy in Wareham.
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Power outages down to 121,215 customers.
