Nasty Weather Ahead

Con Edison is preparing for a nasty weather weekend whipsawing between snow and rain and back again. Starting tonight and lasting into Sunday night, the precipitation will vary with higher accumulations and icing forecasted north of the five boroughs. Crews will be ready to respond to any service problems caused by the wintry mix.

The high winds and frigid conditions could affect overhead and underground electrical delivery service. High winds could knock trees and branches onto power lines. Then a mixture of road salt and melting snow could infiltrate manholes and cause outages. Crews will give priority to restoring service lines that provide power to the most customers quickly and then restore smaller groups and individual customers who are without power.

Con Edison reminds everyone to stay away from downed wires. Customers should report any power outages to receive restoration times and updates. Downed power lines may not always be visible, so it’s important to always be aware of your surroundings and exercise caution when removing any snow.

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.

Con Edison also urges customers to sign up for text notifications at conEd.com/text. Customers can also 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.

Con Edison advises customers to be sure to clear snow and ice away from outdoor gas meters or appliance vents to avoid damage to equipment or blockages that could create carbon monoxide conditions in their homes.

Con Edison offers the following storm tips:

• Do not go near downed wires. 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. Downed lines could be live.
• 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 battery-operated radios are working. Have a supply of extra batteries.
• For more storm tips and preparation, or to view the company’s online outage map, go to Con Edison storm safety.

The company is in constant communication with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services.

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