The Latest: Some New Hampshire schools still without power

PORTLAND, Maine – The Latest on a powerful storm that cut power to more than 1.5 million customers in the Northeast (all times local):

11:40 a.m.

Several school districts in New Hampshire are struggling to get up and running two days after a massive storm knocked out power and damaged roads in the Northeast.

Crews were trying to repair three electrical poles feeding the Kearsarge Regional High School in Sutton on Wednesday, and many residents in the district still were without power. Some roads leading to the school district remained closed because of downed power lines and other storm damage.

School officials hoped to resume normal operations Thursday.

Nearly 1.5 million customers in the region lost power due to a powerful wind and rain storm that peaked in the early Monday morning hours.

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9:55 a.m.

Utilities companies in the Northeast say the number of homes and businesses without power fell by nearly half in a 24-hour period.

More than 440,000 customers still lacked power on Wednesday morning, down from more than 840,000 a day earlier.

In all, nearly 1.5 million customers in the region lost power due to a powerful wind and rain storm that peaked in the early Monday morning hours.

Maine remained the most impacted state, with more than 260,000 homes and businesses still in the dark on Wednesday morning. Some schools and public facilities remained closed on Wednesday.

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12:50 a.m.

Drought conditions across much of Maine may have contributed to the large numbers of trees that toppled during a storm that walloped the Northeast this week.

The storm cut power to more than a million people in the region at its peak. It left more Mainers in the dark than even the infamous 1998 ice storm, but the long-term effects will likely be much different.

Officials with the Maine Emergency Management Agency say because of dry conditions, the roots of many trees weren't healthy. They also say the ground conditions along with foliage that remained on the trees made them more susceptible to wind.

Tree limbs fell from the weight of ice in 1998. Many people affected by that disaster also were affected by this week's storm.