Although the snow has stopped falling in Michigan, as of 10 a.m. central time on Tuesday, November 27, about 2,900 customers of Indiana Michigan Power Company are without power.

Crews from AEP Ohio and contractors are supporting employees of Indiana Michigan (I&M) Power as they work to restore power to the remaining customers who lost it during the most recent winter storm.

Less than 75 customers are without power in Indiana and all of them are expected to have power by 4 p.m. central time today, says I&M.

The power company is warning residents to be alert of crews working and to stay away from any fallen wires and tree limbs or branches that may fall.

I&M reported on Monday afternoon that about 15,450 customers are without power in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. That’s down from more than 18,000 earlier on Monday. Crews from Fort Wayne and Muncie, Indiana helped to restore outages in southwest Michigan and north central Indiana.

Midwest Energy & Communications based in Cassopolis, Michigan reported no outages of their customers on Tuesday, November 27 after repairing outages to more than 280 customers in southwest Michigan on Monday.

Meanwhile, a record snowfall of more than 7-inches embraced Chicago and up to a foot fell on the northwest suburbs on Sunday night November 25 through early Monday November 26. Gusts of up to 50 mph knocked down trees and power lines across the region leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power.

A spokesperson for Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) estimated that 339,000 customers lost power during the storm. As of Monday at 8:30 a.m., crews had restored power to about 152,000 customers, with 177,000 still without service.

As of 8:30 a.m. central time Tuesday, the power company was reporting that 45,781 customers remained without power. Of the group that was still experiencing power outages as of Tuesday morning 2,168 were in Chicago and 27,220 were in Cook County. At its peak on Monday, the storm affected more than 363,000 customers.

Top snow totals by state included:

• Lake Geneva, Wisconsin – 11.8-inches
• Moline, Illinois – 13.8-inches
• Oskaloosa, Iowa – 17-inches
• Morrowville, Kansas – 14-inches
• St. Joseph, Missouri – 8.8-inches
• Nebraska City, Nebraska – 10-inches
• Woodward, Oklahoma – 1.5-inches

We Energies in Wisconsin reported that there were 5,000 customers without power Monday morning, with most of the outages in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

Westar Energy, a power utility that services Kansas, reported that about 700 customers were without power as of 6:45 a.m. on Monday. As of 11 a.m. central time there were 792 outages throughout the state. Missouri reported 352, Nebraska 3, and Oklahoma 354.

The winter storm that hit the Midwest will certainly not be the last for the winter of 2018-19. Residents of regions of the United States that commonly get snow should expect more. Being prepared is essential. A standby generator will make certain that you won’t find yourself and your family plunged into the dark due to a power outage.

In those areas of the country that are most susceptible to a harsh winter, families know that having a standby generator can be a lifesaver. Today’s generators include technologies like Wi-Fi, for easy and remote control whether you are at or near home or miles away enjoying snow skiing in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, the slopes of Colorado or northern California.

Having a generator will ensure that a power outage won’t cause food or medications that need to be refrigerated won’t spoil. A generator can also prevent frozen or damaged pipes that could result in major problems that you may not be able to fix until spring.

Visit the website of AP Electric of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin for a review of some of the best-known brands of generators including  Cummins, Westinghouse, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Generac, and Guardian. The website also includes a generator sizing calculator and offers information on how to select the proper generator for your situation.