HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Instead of a white Christmas, the Midstate is going to have a wet Christmas as a major storm moves to the region on Christmas Eve.

The abc27 Weather team says to expect heavy rain and damaging winds, which could knock out power.

To prepare, PPL Electric Utilities has called in crews and resources from other parts of the country to answer the call, should Midstate residents lose power.

“We are expecting outages and preparing our crews to work in shifts around the clock to address any outages that may occur. We are bringing in additional crews from other parts of the country to assist with restoration efforts,” PPL said Wednesday in a press release.

Crews will work in shifts, around-the-clock from Christmas Eve through Christmas morning. But they also want families to be prepared for the possibility of a power outage on Christmas day.

“We’re especially aware of the fact that this is a holiday, again as quickly and as safely as possible,” said Tracie Witter. “We do have an outage map on our website that PPL can go and get estimated times that they’ll have their power back.”

The company is asking customers to take time to prepare for a potential outage. This includes:

  • Charging cell phones and other devices so they are ready to use in case of an outage.
  • Preparing and maintaining an emergency kit with food, water, medication, and any pet supplies you may need.
  • Staying clear of any downed power lines. PPL says to always assume any downed line is energized.
  • And if you lose power and are using a portable generator, never operate the generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.

Report an Outage

Keep the telephone number of your electricity provider handy. The numbers and websites for central Pennsylvania power companies are below:

For information on storm safety, outage restoration priorities, and more, click here.

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