Oh March Madness! Another Snowstorm with High Winds on the Way

The fourth nor’easter in March bringing high winds and the kind of heavy, wet snow that brings down branches and trees - along with power lines - is forecast to begin late tonight and continue through Wednesday or Thursday.

The storm is expected to drop six to 15 inches of heavy wet snow, with more than 18 inches possible in areas north of New York City. The snow will be accompanied by gusty northeasterly winds of up to 50 MPH predicted to peak Wednesday into early Thursday morning. Con Edison reminds the public not to go near downed power lines because they may be live.

In addition to 2,000 of its own field forces and support personnel, Con Edison has retained about 350 mutual aid workers that have been working with the company on recovery and reinforcement efforts from two prior nor’easters this month. Crews will work on restorations during the storm as long as weather permits.

Once the storm passes, Con Edison crews will conduct damage assessment immediately to plan restoration efforts, with the goal of prioritizing public safety, de-energizing downed wires and restoring critical facilities such as hospitals. Crews will then proceed with restorations that will get the greatest number of customers back online as quickly as possible.

Con Edison will announce estimated restoration times for the region as damage assessments are completed. The individual restoration times for customers will be provided as they become available.

Con Edison and mutual aid workers have been rebuilding much of its overhead electrical system since approximately 200,000 customer outages were caused by the March 2 and March 7 nor’easters that slammed the region, rendering the greatest damage in Westchester and the Bronx. Together, the two storms caused more outages in Westchester than Hurricane Irene did in 2011.

Customers can report downed power lines, outages and check service restoration status at www.conEd.com or by calling 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power. To learn how the restoration process works click here.

Con Edison offers a number of mobile solutions so you can manage your accounts, report and check the status of an outage, learn energy-saving tips, and more. Text REG to OUTAGE (688243) to sign up for text notifications, and follow the prompts. You will need to enter your Con Edison account number to complete the registration process. Once you've registered, you will not need your account number to report or check the status of a power problem. Or visit us here to stay on top of outages and power problems by signing up for text notifications.

Con Edison offers the following storm tips:

• Do not go near downed wires because they could be live. Never attempt to move them or touch them with any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by snow, tree limbs, leaves or water.
• Report downed wires to Con Edison and your local police department immediately. If a power line falls on your car while you’re in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel.
• If your power goes out, disconnect or turn off appliances that would otherwise turn on automatically when service is restored. If several appliances start up at once, the electric circuits may overload.
• Make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are working. Have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on electrical service can be heard on local radio and television stations.
• For more storm tips, go to Con Edison storm safety.

Customers can follow Con Edison on Twitter or like us on Facebook for general outage updates, safety tips and storm preparation information.