Washington, D.C. - The National Weather Service has issued a high wind watch for Saturday evening through Sunday morning. Predictions call for sustained winds of at least 40 mph and gusts of 60 mph or stronger Saturday night through early Sunday with overnight low temperatures approaching the teens. Light snow is expected to start between 3-4 p.m. Saturday and taper off later Saturday night.

Pepco is continuing to monitor the weather forecast and will have crews prepared to restore potential outages. We have about 150 internal linemen and more than 400 contractors already working on our system who are available if needed. Pepco Call Centers are staffed and prepared for this event. 

High winds can bring tree limbs into contact with power lines causing power outages.  Outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles along slippery icy roads.

We will work around the clock to restore any outages that may occur, however for the safety of the overhead line personnel, if sustained winds reach 35 mph, work that requires raising a bucket/arm boom will be interrupted until winds die down.

Safety is our No. 1 priority. We urge our customers to stay clear of working crews and any wires hanging loose from poles or lying on the ground. Customers should always assume that downed wires are energized and avoid them. Customers are asked to immediately report a downed wire by calling 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662). We also ask customers to let us know if they lose their power. They can report outages by calling 1-877-PEPCO62 (1-877-737-2662), visiting pepco.com or through our mobile app, available for download at pepco.com/mobile app.  

It is important that customers report their outages and request a call back to verify their power has been restored.        

Customers should also check their emergency supply kits and be prepared in case they do lose power. Emergency kits should include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, special needs items, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.

Identify a safe alternate location in case of an extended outage. Tune to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.

Customers can find additional tips on preparing for a storm on our website, pepco.com.