WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 22, 2016) - Pepco is closely monitoring the approach of a cold front that is expected to generate two waves of damaging severe thunderstorms similar to the storms that swept through the region on Tuesday, knocking out power to some 16,000 customers.

 The first of the latest round of thunderstorms are predicted to arrive around midnight and continue into late tomorrow morning with heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.

A second wave of more intense thunderstorms is predicted to roll through tomorrow afternoon into tomorrow night, also generating wind gusts of up to 60 mph and generating hail and the possibility of a tornado.  

Like any heavy storm, these could damage the electric system and cause power outages. In response, Pepco has scheduled additional field and call center personnel to be ready for the restoration of service.

The company has about 150 internal linemen, 250 contractors and 180 tree-trimming personnel assigned to the system. Should Pepco need assistance, the company can draw upon resources from the Exelon family of companies including those from Baltimore Gas & Electric, PECO in Philadelphia and ComEd in Chicago.

While Pepco is preparing for the storms, the company also reminds customers to be ready for the possibility of outages.

Pepco encourages customers to have an emergency kit, including a flashlight, battery-powered clock and radio, extra batteries, non-perishable food, manual can opener, bottled water and a list of important phone numbers. All items can be placed into a large cooler which can be used at home and is easy to grab if a person has to leave home quickly.

Customers are asked to please report any outages and to stay away from any downed wires.? To report outages and/or downed wires, please call 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662), follow the prompts, and please ask for a call back to confirm that power has been restored. Outages also may be reported through pepco.com or through the company's mobile app.

Pepco provides a "Weathering the Storm Fact Sheet" that can be downloaded from its website (www.pepco.com).  Find additional information by visiting www.pepco.com. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.pepco.com/mobileapp.