More than 50,000 customers were without electricity by midday, according to Eversource and United Illuminating.
Outages spread quickly as conditions worsened.
Dangerous winds were expected to continue battering much of the state through the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists warn that wind gusts could reach up to 50 miles per hour.
Eversource said it dispatched crews statewide to repair damaged power lines and restore electricity to homes and businesses, but it was a cat-and-mouse game as heavy limbs and trees continued to fall in the gusts.
“The high winds continue to bring down trees and tree limbs onto electric lines and equipment causing additional power outages across the state and also presenting significant challenges for our crews – in fact, a tree came down on one of our line trucks, which reinforces how dangerous work conditions are,” said Eversource President of Connecticut Electric Operations Steve Sullivan.
Additional crews were being brought in as restoration efforts continued. Sullivan said linemen would work "around the clock" until the grid power was fully restored.
The outages came as a strong wind-and-rain storm swept through the Northeast, with storms intensifying across Connecticut on Friday.
A wind advisory for most of the state remained in effect until 7 p.m.
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