Appalachian Power is monitoring a winter weather event that could bring up to 10 inches of heavy, wet snow to parts of its Tennessee, Virginia and southern West Virginia service areas Sunday, December 9, 2018, into Monday.
The storm forecast is concerning because heavy, wet snow can weigh down trees and cause significant widespread damage to electric facilities. Current forecasts show the potential for 6-10 inches of heavy wet snow in several areas, including all of the company’s eastern Tennessee service area, Buchanan, Dickenson, Henry, Lee, Patrick, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wise counties in Virginia, southern portions of Carroll and Grayson counties in Virginia, and McDowell and Mercer counties in West Virginia. Snowfall in other parts of Virginia and southern West Virginia is expected to be significant but drier, lighter and less likely to cause widespread power outages.
Changes to snow totals and/or threat areas could occur over the next 48 hours.
In advance of the storm Appalachian Power is working to secure crews from contractors and other utilities outside the company’s service area, and is making plans to strategically stage workers in areas likely to experience outages. The company continues to monitor the weather closely and will adjust its plans as forecasts of the storm’s expected path, timeline and intensity become more clear.
Heavy wet snow can cause many downed trees and power lines. Customers should treat all downed lines as live power lines and stay away from them. Never touch downed power lines or sparking equipment. Keep children and pets away from fallen lines and anything the lines may touch.
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