An approaching storm is expected to bring high winds and lake effect snow across much of New York state, starting Wednesday evening.
Rochester Gas & Electric and New York State Electric & Gas say they are preparing for the storm and the service disruptions it may cause across their territories. In a news release, the utilities said they have more than 1,700 tree and line personnel across the state ready to respond to outages. That includes 130 additional line crews brought on for the response.
Temperatures are expected to fall into the 40s this afternoon, with wind picking up and reaching gusts of up to 40 mph, according to WXXI's meteorologist, Josh Nichols. His forecast calls for continued snow and wind gusts of up to 40 to 50 mph during the day. And snow is forecast through Sunday.
"Once we get into later Friday and Saturday, we may have some lake effect snow coming in off Lake Ontario, and that could provide a few inches of snow, especially to the 104 corridor," Nichols said. "In conjunction with some of the gusty winds, it will mean blowing and drifting of the snow in spots at that time, along with some poor visibility."
RG&E and NYSEG said customers can report and track the status of outages through their respective mobile apps. The companies will also provide updates and safety tips on their websites and social media channels. RG&E's website is rge.com and NYSEG's is nyseg.com.
