The state got smacked by a powerful nor’easter Thursday morning.

Central Maine Power reported more than 175,000 outages early Thursday, with the hardest hit areas being York and Cumberland counties. That total fell to about 151,000 by early Thursday evening.

CMP spokeswoman Catherine Hartnett told our info partners at CBS 13 news that Mainers who still hadn’t gotten their power back should prepare to remain without it for the rest of the day Thursday.

The National Weather Service said gusts topped 60 MPH, and numerous roads in the area were blocked by downed trees. Traffic light failures and flooding also caused headaches for drivers in the morning.

Damage in many areas was severe. A large tree on Forest Avenue in Portland was uprooted by the wind, taking part of the sidewalk with it, and fell on top of a home. A tree on Pitt Street in Portland also came down on a home’s chimney, with the bricks landing on a car parked in the driveway.

One area hit particularly hard was Willard Beach in South Portland, where officials were urging residents to stay out of the area until downed lines could be cleared.

School closings and delays were reported in the Portland area and other parts of the state.