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Lehigh Valley utility companies are prepped for a weekend nor’easter that could impact electrical service around the region.
The coastal storm beginning tonight will bring widespread rain and gusty winds, according to the National Weather Service. The rain could be heavy enough through Saturday morning to result in localized street flooding, and wind gusts as high as 32 mph are possible.
Power outages are never pleasant, but the storm will blow in with temperatures already well below normal. Highs today will top off in the the 40s to near 50 degrees, the weather service says, and it won’t be much warmer on Saturday.
“For the predicted storm, we are increasing line worker staffing starting Friday evening through the end of the storm,” said PPL spokesman Joe Nixon. “This includes staging crews in areas we predict could have more outages.”
Nixon said the company’s investments in things like stronger poles and wires, smart grid technology and a comprehensive tree trimming and clearing program have combined to take reliability to new levels. But he also noted downed trees are the number one cause of storm-related outages, and said the company will be monitoring a few areas closely, including the Poconos and other spots in northeast PA.
Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) will be doing the same. The utility told its customers on Facebook it will deploy more than 1,000 additional line workers, damage assessors, hazard responders and forestry personnel in advance of the storm.
Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) in New Jersey and Met-Ed are the FirstEnergy utilities expected to be hardest hit by the storm.
“We continue to monitor weather conditions closely and are making plans to deploy resources to the areas that could get hit the hardest,” said Dave Karafa, vice president, Distribution Support, FirstEnergy. “The ultimate goal of our pre-planning efforts is to expedite the restoration process and minimize any inconvenience our customers experience due to the weather.”
Utilities and first responders want everyone to stay safe for the duration of the storm, and that means staying far away for any downed power lines.
PPL asks its customers to report downed lines at 1-800-342-5775 (1-800-DIAL-PPL). For more outage safety information, customers can visit www.pplelectric.com/outage.
Met-Ed customers who are without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the “Report Outage” link on www.firstenergycorp.com.
Customers of both utilities can also use text messaging to report outages, request updates on restoration efforts, or make other inquiries about their electric accounts.
The nor’easter won’t be anywhere near as bad as the 2011 Halloween blizzard, which dumped cement-like snow on the region and left more than 100,000 electric customers without power.
This storm is expected to bring only rain, not snow, which should end south to north across the area by late Saturday evening to early Sunday morning.
Here is the extended Lehigh Valley forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today
Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Light and variable wind.
Tonight
Rain, mainly after 8pm. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 43. East wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Saturday
Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 51. Northeast wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Night
Rain likely before 2am, then a chance of showers after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday
A chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. West wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday Night
Rain likely, mainly after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Monday
Rain likely before 8am, then a chance of showers after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Thursday
A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
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