HAMPTON – Unitil Corporation, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, will open all regional emergency operations centers at 8 a.m. on Monday in response to severe weather stemming from the merging of Hurricane Sandy with an incoming cold front.

Based on today’s forecast, the company said, the highest impact of the storm, nicknamed "Frankenstorm" by local media outlets, is forecasted to impact Unitil’s service territory Monday afternoon and into Tuesday. However, the region is expected to feel the impact of the storm for several days due to the size and track of the system.

"Because the merged storm is forecasted to impact the area for a long period time, this could be a scenario where there are multiple outage peaks over the course of the event,” Unitil media relations manager Alec O’Meara said. “People could have power restored, then lose power again before the storm has passed completely.”

Due to the severity of the forecast Unitil anticipates the impact to the electrical system in the region could be severe and may result in a multiple-day restoration. =