UPDATE: Nearly 33,000 RI Energy customers without power in face of high winds

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Nearly 33,000 Rhode Island Energy customers are without power Friday in the face of strong winds rolling across the state.

As of 12:30 p.m., 32,957 customers are without electricity, according to the Rhode Island Energy outage map.

According to ABC6 Stormtracker Weather Chief Meteorologist Kristina Shalhoup, expect the winds to keep up into the afternoon:

We’ve already seen some rain across Southern New England, but both rain and wind will intensify later in the day.

We’ll see showers become more persistent and widespread over the course of the morning commute. The most uncomfortable conditions will be between roughly 10 AM and 2 PM. During this time, wind gusts and heavy rain will peak. Gusts could get up to 60 mph for the coast, leading to High Wind Warnings for the entire coastlines of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Gusts inland could peak near 50 mph, leading to Wind Advisories in those areas as well.