Nor'easter snow, rain to create slick roads

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — As Southern New England braces for strong and potentially damaging winds associated with an approaching Nor'easter, National Grid said it will be read to respond to outages.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory through 6 a.m. Thursday, covering northern and central Rhode Island, including Providence, Warwick, Smithfield and Bristol, as well as eastern and southeastern Massachusetts.

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According to Eyewitness News Meteorologist Michelle Muscatello, the storm will pack sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 40 to 55 mph.

Muscatello said the strongest winds and heaviest rain will be during the day Wednesday into the early evening. The winds could down large tree limbs and power lines, causing scattered outages.

Muscatello said northwest Rhode Island, which is under a Winter Weather Advisory from 2 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday, could get one to two inches of snow north and west of Rt. 295. The conditions could make for a slick evening commute Wednesday.

National Grid said it has more than 500 line and tree crews on standby, ready to respond to any storm outages.

"We understand that our customers just endured Hurricane Sandy, and now, a week later, are faced with the prospect of another storm" said Kathy Lyford, vice president of New England Operations. "We started planning for this storm on Sunday and we are ready for it."

Customers who experience power outages can call National Grid at 1-800-465-1212.