Nearly 6,650 Belco customers were without power at 6am as gale force conditions continued to pound the island. By 11am the figure was nearing 4,500, and by noon it had fallen to 3,500, followed by 1,300 by 2.45pm.

According to police at 7.30am, North Shore Road in Hamilton Parish was blocked by a fallen utility pole between the Crawl Hill Esso Service Station and the MarketPlace supermarket.

Public buses resumed at 9am after shutting down yesterday as the storm intensified, with gusts surpassing 80mph at 1.30am.

“Our crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible as the weather allows,” Belco said on its Facebook page.

It came as the Ministry of National Security warned drivers to take care as winter gale conditions continue.

A storm warning remained in effect this morning, according to the Bermuda Weather Service, with “exceptionally cool” conditions and “near-record low” temperatures that dipped below 50F.

Earlier, Shelly Leman, the managing director of Belco, said the utility had reviewed its response plans for severe weather, including contingencies in the event that the Causeway has to close.

She said an underground cable fault shortly after noon yesterday had knocked out power to just over 1,000 customers in St David’s, with service restored by 1.20pm.

Standby crews will respond to outages throughout the evening until conditions render it unsafe.

Drivers were advised to use caution around Belco crews and avoid entering any work zones marked with cones or barriers.

Partial outages or emergencies such as pole fires or downed power lines should be reported to 955. Belco will issue updates through the weekend on its social media channels.

Ms Leman added: “We appreciate the public's patience and understanding as our teams work to maintain service and restore power as quickly and safely as possible during this weekend’s adverse weather. Please stay safe and follow official weather advisories.”

Updates will be given through the BWS site online and government channels as the ministry monitors the powerful low-pressure system passing to the north of the island.

The Royal Gazette understands that all ferry service has been cancelled today owing to inclement weather.