Local power companies have optimistic outlook for storm and electric service

For residential utility lines it can take as little as one-fourth inch of ice to trigger power disruptions, a half inch can be crippling

PSE&G's Southern Division provides power to half a million South Jersey customers. Manager Jim Rigler is optimistic for this storm event, based on the amount of ice detailed in the latest forecast.

"The latest forecast we have is a trace amount to just a small amount of icing," said Rigler. "Based on that forecast, we don't anticipate much problem, but we are going to hold some crews just in case."

Since forecasts can change, both PSE&G and PECO say they will have crews on standby Monday night.

Maybe the biggest ice event in recent years was part of a larger winter storm early in February 2014.

Especially hard hit with freezing rain, Chester County where 2 to 3 tenths of an inch of ice coated trees. Many trees collapsed, pulling down power lines to more than 175,000 Chester County Customers.

Another half million customers lost power region wide in that storm.

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