New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) say they are preparing crews, equipment and resources as rain, sleet, snow and strong winds is forecast to hit much of Upstate New York this week.

A widespread system is expected to move in Wednesday evening and persist overnight into Thursday. The companies say the storm has the potential to impact all NYSEG and RG&E service areas. This includes Western New York, Rochester, the Finger Lakes region, the Southern Tier, the North Country, Capital Region, Hudson Valley and Westchester regions. 

The companies say customers should monitor local forecasts and prepare for the possibility of service interruptions.

Additional line and tree crews are being brought into the area in anticipation of the storm.

They are offering residents some tips to make sure they are prepared before a storm strikes, including:

  • Keeping battery-operated flashlights, radios, supplies of drinking water and non-perishable foods at hand
  • Fully charging smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices
  • Filling your car’s fuel tank

The companies say the first priorities of crews are to respond to reports of downed power lines in an effort to keep the public safe. For more on what to do if you see a downed line, click here.

Customers can stay up to date with any outages on the NYSEG and RG&E social media channels:

Facebook: @NYSEandG and @RochGandE

Twitter: @NYSEandG and @RGandE

You can also sign up for outage alerts here for NYSEG or here for RG&E.

Adam Penale - Associate Digital Producer

Adam Penale is a Niagara University graduate, who has written for the Buffalo Bisons and the Niagara Gazette. He joined Spectrum News as an associate digital producer in 2020.