Strong winds leave thousands without power across Mass.

BOSTON — Strong winds on Monday toppled power lines and trees, knocking out power to thousands of customers across southern New England.

At 7 p.m., a record wind gust of 171 mph was recorded atop New Hampshire's Mount Washington, setting a record for the date. The previous record of 166 mph had been recorded on Feb. 25, 1972.

The National Weather Service says parts of Massachusetts saw wind gusts close to 70 miles per hour on Monday. Strong winds continued to blow through Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut throughout Monday afternoon.

At Mount Tom in western Massachusetts, wind gusts reached 76 mph.

In Cambridge and at the Blue Hill Observatory, wind gusts reached 69 mph.

NWS said Monday gusts hit 55 mph in Newington, New Hampshire, and 48 mph in Portland, Maine.

As of 10 p.m., more than 50,000 customers were without power across Massachusetts, a significant increase from the 19,000 reported outages on Monday morning.

By 1:00 p.m., MEMA reported nearly 40,000 customers were without power in Mass. And by 4 p.m., over 60,000 customers were without power.

Eversource reported more than 6,300 outages in Connecticut.

By 6 a.m. on Tuesday, over 26,000 customers were still in the dark as crews worked to restore power and clean up the mess left behind by powerful winds.

Outages were widespread through the state, with the biggest concentration around central and western Mass.

Downed trees did quite a lot of damage across the area. Power lines, homes and cars were all victims to trees that got knocked down by the gusty winds.

In certain spots, such as Westford and Worcester, wind gusts exceeded 60 mph. Downed wires and trees blocked off roads as utility crews and emergency responders worked to make everyone safe.

In Wellesley, a tree came crashing down onto a home, tearing right through the second floor. An elderly woman and her caretaker who were inside on the first floor were unharmed.

"I'm standing there and I look up and I see the tree and I think I was screaming, 'Oh my God, the tree is falling now' and I ran and the tree landed right where I just left," said a woman who lives in the home.

Over in Milton, a tree crushed a car with a 4-year-old inside.

High winds were strong enough to knock down a light pole in West Roxbury.

Agressively strong winds in Needham knocked down power lines which caused an Xfinity van to catch on fire. No injuries were reported.

On the Green Line, service was suspended between Riverside and Newton Highlands due to a downed tree at Woodland. Service was delayed for up to 15 mins as shuttle buses were put in place to accommodate passengers.

Forecast: High winds today with wind damage, power outages possible

Meteorologists are urging residents to bring any loose objects indoors.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group