Nov 18, 2002 By David Sharp Associated Press Writer 2 min read

New England’s first major ice storm of the season spread freezing rain across the region Sunday, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands of homes. More than a half inch of ice had accumulated in parts of northern and western Connecticut, and more than 130,000 Northeast Utility customers were without power at the height of the outages there.

Several towns in the northwest part of the state set up emergency shelters while more than 100 linemen worked to restore power. Nearly 120,000 customers remained without electricity Sunday afternoon.

“It’s ice, it is wind, it is branches hitting lines,” said utility spokesman Mitch Gross. “It’s going to take some time.”

Most parts of Maine had 3 to 5 inches of snow by the afternoon, and trees were sagging under the weight of ice.

An estimated 15,000 Central Maine Power customers were without electricity by Sunday afternoon, said CMP spokesman Kevin Howes. Dozens of cars slid off highways and speed limits were reduced to 45 mph on the Maine Turnpike and Interstate 95.

In Massachusetts, more than 10,000 power outages were reported in central and southeastern parts of the state overnight after ice weighed down limbs and broke power lines. State police reported dozens of minor accidents and at least one serious accident, in Andover, north of Boston.

Colchester, Conn., police were investigating whether a fatal accident Saturday night may have been related to the storm. State Police Sgt. Gregory Kenney said there had been numerous minor accidents and several roads closed by downed trees.

The nor’easter swept a large part of New England, dropping 3 to 6 inches of snow in New Hampshire’s northern mountains and blowing cold rain across New York’s Long Island.

Wind gusted up to 35 mph on Long Island, where 7,000 homes and businesses lost power, according to the Long Island Power Authority.