IRENE UPDATE: Police Report 44 Downed Wires

Update: 3:45 p.m.: According to town administrator Martha White, 33 trees have brought down power lines and more than 100 trees have fallen across town.

Much of South Natick remains without power.

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Update: 2:00 p.m.: The is reporting 44 downed wires across town.

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Update: 1:56 p.m.: A resident on Connecticut Avenue reports that two cars have been crushed by trees and that the road is impassable.

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Update: 1:11 p.m.: There are reports of downed trees and wires across Natick, despite the seemingly calmer weather at the moment. Currently, must of Natick still has power, with the exception of South Natick, which has reportedly been without power for several hours.

The town is advising residents to stay inside at this time, as there are multiple utility wires down across town. The town warns residents to assume all downed wires are live and to stay away and report the incident.

A reverse 9-1-1 call from the town said "many roads are impassable" and NSTAR is backed up two hours, trying to deal with downed wires before they can begin to work on the downed trees. 

Massachusetts State Police has reported that a tree has fallen across the breakdown lane on the Massachusetts Turnpike, eastbound in Natick near Framingham.

Natick Police are reporting that Connecticut Avenue has numerous trees down and a possible fire.

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Update: 12:15 a.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for the area. Irene is expected to reach southern New England overnight into Sunday, bringing heavy rains, strong winds and flooding. The NOAA reports that Irene is a tropical cyclone, but strong winds may cause heavy damage even away from the center of the storm.

Check back with Natick Patch for updates.

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Hurricane Irene has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, but the National Weather Service tropical storm warning for the area remains in effect through Sunday.

Irene is expected to arrive tonight, with the worst of the storm being tomorrow. According to the National Weather Service, the worst of the wind in Massachussetts is expected around 6 p.m. Sunday.

Despite the downgrade to Category 1, residents are still advised to be cautious and prepare for power outages and flooding. The organization reports that when the storm hit North Carolina around 7:30 Saturday morning, Irene was a Category 1, but still had a maximum sustained windspeed of 85 mph.

Check back with Natick Patch for updates as they become available.