53,000 Southern California Edison Customers In The Dark Due To Storm

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Approximately 53,000 Southern California Edison customers are without power Friday night as a powerful winter storm pound the area. That number, reported by SCE at 11 p.m., was down from the 67,000 reported at 9 p.m.

SCE said storm conditions such as this can call trees to fall on power lines. The utility serves the majority of Los Angeles and Orange counties, with the exception of the city of Los Angeles and a few small municipalities.

"This is a frequent cause of power outages during heavy rain and wind storms," the utility said. Crews will be working through the night to restore power to customers who have been without power the longest, the company said.

Weather conditions, however, may delay the restoration of power, the utility said.

"Due to the severity of the weather, and access issues to flood affected areas, some customers could be without power for twenty-four hours or more," SCE said in a statement posted on its website.

Trees that haven fallen on power lines can also cause delays in getting power restored because the trees have to be removed before crews can start their work, the company said.

Patch file image