AccuWeather News - Mid-Atlantic: Heavy, Wet Snow May Cause Power Outages

The snowstorm that is aiming for the mid-Atlantic coastal states this week has the potential to dump several inches of heavy, wet snow.
Power outages may become a problem for areas hit hard in the states of North Carolina, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The weight of the snow can cause limbs to fall on power lines and cause outages.
People concerned with trees bringing down power lines should check the trees for old, decayed or weak-looking branches and remove them if possible. Use care around power lines. Do not make contact with the lines. If the branches are very close to the lines, consider contacting your local power supply company.

Should you lose power and use a generator, never place the generator inside your home or garage.
Following the snow, heavy winds will become a concern. As the storm strengthens near the coast, winds will increase over New Jersey, Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula. More tree limbs could break and fall on power lines.
"Winds will be out of the northeast sustained at 25-35 mph with gusts to 50 mph," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Erik Pindrock.
The winds will increase Wednesday through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
Atlantic City, N.J., Ocean City, Md., and Norfolk, Va., are some of the cities than may be impacted by the winds.

Story by Vickie Frantz, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer