Winter struck the eastern United States with a vengeance causing more than 400,000 power outages in segments of Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and the New England states during the weekend of November 16-18, 2018.

The region was also overwhelmed with ice, sleet and rain On Friday, there were expectations of 6-12-inches of snow from western Maryland to northwestern Maine and there were predictions of 1-2-inches of sleet falling on top of snow.

The Nation’s Capital was one of the first locals struck after the storm-affected areas farther south including Tennessee and West Virginia. In the Washington, D.C. area snow accumulation ranged from about 1-1/2-inches to 2-inches with the storm resulting in greater totals in other areas. As much as half a foot of snow covered the grounds of New York’s Central Park before the mess turned to rain.

Dubbed Avery, the storm then moved north along the I-95 corridor and affected upper state New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

During a snowfall period of Saturday through early Monday, the states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine were blanketed with snow ranging from 1 to 18.3-inches. Mount Hope, New York appeared to get the worst of it with other portions of the state getting more than 10-inches.

In New Jersey, the most snow was in Westwood where there was 7.8-inches, Hoboken, which got 4.7-inches. Connecticut and Maine residents witnessed major accumulation, too. There was 10.9-inches in New Fairfield and 4.6-inches in New Haven, Connecticut and 6-8-inches in some areas of Maine.

As of 2:17 p.m., Monday, November 19, 2018, there are a total of 17,087 outages, according to WTOP.com.

As the coldest days of winter 2018-19 begin, people are preparing for more of the same. You can bet that a good number of residents of snowy regions of the United States have already or are currently seeking stand alone generators to power them through future outages.

Regardless of what region of the country you live in, past winters have taught us that power outages are often the result of many winter storms. You probably know your region better than those who don’t live in it. 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.