[updated Monday 4:00 p.m. with pictures and information]

The first waves of Hurricane Sandy havDe hit Middletown shores. The Middletown Fire Department has reported many fallen trees across the town and urge caution.

At 2:00 p.m. on Monday, Fire Chief Ronald Doire reported there are live, smoking wires down on Paradise Avenue. 

At 4 p.m. on Monday, National Grid has reported over 63,000 customers are without power across Rhode Island.  Of those outages, 16,000 residents in Newport County are impacted, and 4,500 Middletown have lost power.   National Grid is assessing the situation.

The largest danger for a storm surge will be at 8:20 tonight, at high tide.

"This is the most serious coastal flood threat in years for portions of the south coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Follow the advice of local officials regarding evacuations," warns the National Weather Service on Monday morning. 

Stay safe in your house and flip through the pictures to get an idea of what is going on around town.

School Closings

• Middletown Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday
• All Saints Academy will be closed on Tuesday

Other roads closures and related issues:

• Wave Avenue is closed
• Beach access roads are closed
• part of Memorial Blvd. is closed
• Parking ban begins at midnight tonight

Patch will continue to provide you updates, throughout the storm.  Make sure you are signed up for Middletown's breaking news emails as well as the daily newsletter, click here.