Pepco says blizzard conditions predicted for Friday and Saturday could bring tree limbs crashing down onto power lines or icy conditions that weigh down lines and cause outages.
The utility said Thursday it is monitoring weather forecasts that call as much as two feet of snow Friday night into Saturday and has 150 linemen, 250 contractors and more than 200 tree crews ready to respond to downed wires.
Pepco also will request additional crews from other utilities in other regions if needed.
“Heavy wet snow and high winds can bring tree limbs into contact with power lines and topple trees causing power outages,” Pepco President Donna Cooper said. “Downed wires due to ice forming on power lines can also cause outages as well as drivers skidding into utility poles along slippery icy roads.
Safety is our No. 1 priority.”
In February 2010, after a storm dumped 17 inches of snow on Bethesda over two days there was at one point 81,000 Pepco customers in Montgomery County without power.
A Blizzard Watch issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service called for the heaviest snow and wind gusts up to 55 mph Friday night and into Saturday.
The weather service also said power outages are a possibility.
