Power companies prepare for 2nd consecutive weekend of winter storms

After last week’s winter storm left thousands in the Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia regions without electricity, power companies are preparing for what may be back to back weekends of outages. Winter Storm Warnings have been issued for NETN and SWVA again this weekend with the potential of heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures. Power Company officials say while winter weather can knock out power, the greatest risk is ice, which can bring down power lines and trees. Additionally, wind gusts are also an issue and can prevent electric crews from working on any downed power lines. If you experience an outage, those officials said to report it immediately and in preparation of any potential outages, stock up on supplies and check on neighbors. The NWS in Morristown is predicting most of the region to be blanketed between 3 and 7 inches of snow. Some areas in the region could see locally heavier amounts up to 10 inches to a foot of snowfall.