Cohasset, Marshfield take the brunt of damage as nor'easter hits South Shore
- Power failures hit as many as half a million people as a nor'easter whipped across the South Shore.
- Nearly a dozen South Shore towns were completely without power as of Wednesday afternoon.
- Part of the roof flew off in the winds at the housing authority's O'Brien Towers apartment building in Quincy.
- An MBTA commuter rail train with passengers on board hit a downed branch in Cohasset.
This is a developing story. Please check back throughout the day for updates.
Nearly half a million people were without power Wednesday as a nor'easter slammed Massachusetts and heavy winds continued to whip across the region. Downed trees, boats washed ashore and a flooded coastline marked the first storm of the season.
The region bore the brunt of power failures with several towns nearing 100 percent of customers without electricity as of Wednesday afternoon. In Plymouth, more than 31,000 people were without power shortly before 1 p.m. — nearly 92 percent of the town's customers. Marshfield had about 12,000 people without power; Scituate nearly 9,000; and Weymouth more than 15,000.
At one point, 100% of customers in Hingham, Hanover, Norwell, Pembroke, Hanson, Rockland, Abington, Whitman and Halifax had no power.
Duxbury had 94 percent of the town without power Wednesday, and the fire department told residents via Twitter that it was "reasonable to expect full restoration could take days."
"There's a lot of damage," one Pembroke police officer said, and many roads were impassable due to downed trees.
Powerful winds uprooted and knocked down trees and power lines, causing a mess in many towns. Traffic lights across the South Shore were knocked out, including in Quincy Center. The Hingham Police Department reminded drivers via Twitter that any power outages at traffic lights turn intersections into four-way stops.
Peak wind gusts recorded on the South Shore included 87 mph in Scituate and 84 mph in Duxbury. Several towns, including Plymouth, Hull and Quincy reported wind gusts of more than 70 mph.
In Quincy's Germantown neighborhood, debris from the roof flew off in the winds at the housing authority's O'Brien Towers apartment building. The roof is structurally still sound, housing authority director James Marathas said, and no residents were displaced.
In Cohasset, the press box was blown off the stands at Alumni Field.
Police said an MBTA commuter rail train with passengers on board hit a downed branch near Beechwood Street around 11:25 a.m.
No injuries were reported, Cohasset police said, though photos re-posted by the Cohasset Twitter account indicate that one of the windows on the train were damaged.
The Greenbush Train 080 is operating nearly two hours late between West Hingham and South Station because of fallen trees, the MBTA said in an alert.
Shuttle buses have also replaced Red Line service between Quincy Center and JFK/UMass due to downed trees on the tracks Wednesday morning.
Trees and wires were down on Cleveland Avenue and Harrison Avenue in Braintree and the intersection was impassable. Debris was also blown onto Route 3, Webster Street in Marshfield and dozens of smaller side streets in the area.
Gas stations, Dunkin' stores and other open businesses in Marshfield had f dozens of cars lining up for provisions.
Route 27, Oak Street, Water Street and Valley Street in Pembroke were among the routes closed due to fallen trees. Crews were out in response to the storm but it will take time to fix impasses, the officer said.
The advice now? Stay home.
Courthouses in Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk and Plymouth counties were closed for the day.
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Reporters Joe Difazio, Alexandra Weliever and Mary Whitfill contributed to this report.