PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Strong winds moved in across the region Saturday, bringing dangerously cold temperatures and many power outages.
Wind chills could drop as low as negative 25 degrees Saturday, with gusts ranging from 40 to 60 mph, making it difficult for those without power to maintain warmth. Temperatures are expected to drop as low as 5 degrees Saturday and 3 degrees Sunday, but wind gusts will make it feel like it’s in the negatives. Cold temps will stick around until Monday, with highs in the 20s.
As of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, PECO reported just over 100 individual outages in Philadelphia and its collar counties, affecting about 1,766 customers. The highest concentrations of those outages are in Delaware and Bucks counties.
In New Jersey, PSE&G reported just over 80 outages affecting around 2,200 customers. Most of those outages are in North Jersey around Newark, but there are sparse outages around West Deptford and Lawnside in South Jersey.
In preparation for a potential outage, Matt Rankin with PECO said, be sure to charge all your devices and have flashlights on every floor of the house.
“You never know where you're going to be if an outage occurs, and you always want to have a supply of water and easy-to-prepare non-perishable foods available,” he said.
Pennsylvania PECO customers can report outages online, and if they see any downed wires, they can call 1-800-841-4141. New Jersey customers can also report outages online or call 1-800-436-PSEG for any downed wires.
Philadelphia has been under an Enhanced Code Blue for a while now and it will remain in effect until further notice. Those in the area can seek shelter at nonprofit Prevention Point in Kensington, which serves as a warming center during these harsh conditions.
“Some people are coming in for several hours at a time, some people are coming in for maybe 2 hours, to warm up, people are getting food and blankets, hand warmers, hats,” said Silvana Mazzella, lead executive officer of the nonprofit.
She said they have been open virtually non-stop since the snowstorm, helping more than 700 people with a range of services.
“We have definitely seen some people with frostbite, frostbite developing, we've seen a lot of people, unfortunately, who had, you know, as many other areas with this cold snap, expected to be somewhere by a certain time but couldn't get there because of public transit or mobility issues in the snow,” Mazzella said.