The Lehigh Valley region was under a wind advisory through midnight, the National Weather Service said.
UPDATE: How fast did wind blow? Power problems being resolved
A JCP&L meter is seen May 7, 2014, in Summit, New Jersey. The utility on March 28, 2016, reported thousands of outages across Warren and Hunterdon counties due to weather. (NJ Advance Media file photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) Strong winds blowing through the Lehigh Valley region on Monday cut power to thousands of properties, primarily across Warren and Hunterdon counties, according to utility companies.
The National Weather Service reported winds of 29 mph with gusts of 40 mph as of 5 p.m. at Lehigh Valley International Airport. A wind advisory was in place through midnight across a region encompassing Lehigh, Northampton, Warren and Hunterdon counties.
In addition to the potential for power outages and downed tree limbs, the weather service said driving could be difficult, particularly in high-profile vehicles, and forecasters advised securing lightweight outdoor objects such as patio furniture and garbage cans.
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FirstEnergy about 8 p.m. reported 3,034 customers experiencing outages, or about 6 percent of its customer base, in Warren County. The hardest hit was Franklin Township, where 1,093 customers were affected.
JCP&L, the FirstEnergy company serving New Jersey, attributed outages to severe weather and said damage was being assessed as part of efforts to restore service.
Even though we're all up + running for your weather needs, other parts of Hackettstown + NJ are out of power. #NJwx pic.twitter.com/4oMS6PH6cn
-- WeatherWorks (@WeatherWorks) March 29, 2016
Hunterdon County saw 1,834 customers affected as of about 8 Monday night, about 3 percent of JCP&L's customers countywide. High Bridge had the most about 8 p.m.: 881.
FirstEnergy's Met-Ed reported faring better on the Pennsylvania side, with 12 outages as of about 8 p.m. in Northampton County and fewer than five in Lehigh County.
PPL Electric Utilities about 8 p.m. was reporting six customers without power in Lehigh County and 131 customers out in Northampton County
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.