UPDATE: 14,000+ Newport Residents Without Power

Update 10:30 a.m. - All of Newport's 14,868 National Grid customers are currently without power.

National Grid posted the following updates on Facebook: 

Winter Storm Nemo has caused significant problems in New England. We’ve been ready for the past 36 hours, and now it’s a matter of waiting for conditions to get safe and roads to clear, so the restoration process can begin. Our emergency crews follow a specific plan to begin restoring service as safely and quickly as conditions allow.

Accurate damage surveys, resource assessments and restoration estimates are critical in the preliminary stages of a major weather event such as this. Reporting an outage improves our teams' abilities to respond safely, effectively and quickly. If you haven't reported your outage, please call 1-800-465-1212 or visit our mobile site to report and track from a smartphone.

The Newport Police Department is currently assessing repair estimates. 

Original Report - With snowfall increasing and winds picking up, power outages are beginning to spring up across the state as Rhode Island gets hit with a blizzard.

According to National Grid's power outage map, more than 20,000 Rhode Islanders are without power. The bulk of that number comes from South County with 15,000 affected customers. In Newport, 2,769 are without power.

National Grid urges customers to be patient while crews work to restore power. According to statements from National Grid, work will recommence once roadsways are clear and when the winds die down.

Report any power outages to National Grid at 1-800-465-1212.

Check here for any Newport blizzard updates.