Sterling, two firefighters had a close call when they went to check out a downed tree on Jewett Road at 6:37 p.m. Fire Chief David Hurlbut Jr. said a power line fell on their pickup on Jewett Road and they called for backup. The second team used monitoring meters to determine a fuse had blown and the line was no longer live. After removing the power line, the team drove the truck away.

In Sturbridge, a section of the roof of the former Piccadilly Pub was blown off. Several homes, including a house at Oak Ridge Avenue in Southbridge, were also damaged by falling trees. Also in Southbridge, nine roads were blocked by trees and wires in the afternoon.

The National Weather Service was predicting rain would continue at leastthrough today, with diminishing winds through the day. During the day sustained winds in Worcester were between 21 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph. The possibility of rain will diminish significantly Wednesday but wind could still be a factor. The weather service is predicting winds of 7 to 13 mph, with gusts up to 36 mph. Temperatures are expected to remain high, rising to 65 degrees todayand 58 degrees tomorrow.

In anticipation of the storm, Worcester opened its emergency operations center at 7 a.m. yesterday yo coordinate storm-related services. The city’s customer service center was also open yesterday and was expected to remain open for the duration of the storm. Residents wishing to report downed trees, tree limbs, blocked roads, sewage backup or other city-related