PARKERSBURG -Around 5 p.m. Friday, 275 customers were without electricity in Wood County, according to Greg Hefner with Mon Power.
Hefner said most of the outages were due to a tree that fell in the Walker Road area on W.Va. 47 past West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
"We have crews out there (on Walker Road) working," he said. "Right now, our biggest threat for additional outages would be projected wind gusts."
Hefner said the snow being a dry, light snow meant additional power outage problems might only come with high winds.
According to the National Weather Service in Charleston, the heaviest amounts of snow were expected Friday afternoon and evening. The wind was coming from the west at 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, they reported. Temperatures were in the 20s to lower 30s Friday night.
"We're in pretty good shape right now," Hefner said Friday night.
Fact Box
In Brief
Customers without power can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com via a mobile device.
A power line fell in the Ninth Avenue area in Parkersburg due to winds and wet conditions, he said.
"We have made significant progress," he added.
As of Friday around 9 p.m., the power line down on Ninth Avenue resulted in about 17 residents without power, officials said.
FirstEnergy officials said they were prepared for the possible impact of high winds and impending snowfall Friday.
All areas of its six-state service territory saw the impact of the snowstorm, and West Virginia did not escape unscathed.
"We are keeping a close eye on the weather and will be ready to respond immediately to assist our customers should sustained high winds cause any problems," said Mark Julian, vice president of Utility Operations for First Energy in a press release Thursday.
