With the Chicago area expecting wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, ComEd says that it is preparing additional equipment and crews to respond to any power outages caused by the severe weather.
A high wind warning will go into effect at 6 p.m. Wednesday for most of northern Illinois, with 30-to-35 mile-per-hour winds expected, along with wind gusts approaching, and occasionally exceeding, 60 miles per hour.
ComEd says that it is positioning equipment and additional crews to deal with potential power outages, saying it will employ a similar strategy to the one used when severe weather knocked out power to 46,000 customers last weekend.
Those outages were resolved within 24 hours, the utility said.
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The utility company is urging residents to stay away from downed power lines, and to call 1-800-EDISON1 if they see a downed power line. Residents are also asked not to approach crews in the field to ask about restoration times, and instead to visit the company’s website or mobile app.
