CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — ComEd says it is preparing for more power outages Friday across northern Illinois by bringing in 300 workers from other states.

According to the utility, the forecasted storms project wet, heavy snow, potential icing, and wind gusts of over 40 mph in some areas.

“We know this can be a one-two punch for people who were affected by last week’s weather. We are taking proactive steps now to be ready to work quickly and safely to restore power to any customers who lose service,” said Terence Donnelly, president and COO of ComEd. “We recognize that any outage is inconvenient for our customers, which is why we continue to make investments to harden the power grid and improve resilience to storms, especially as they become more frequent and severe due to climate change.”

The National Weather Service has placed counties southeast of the Rockford area under a Winter Storm Watch.

As of Thursday morning, none of the counties in the Rockford region were included in the weather alert.

According to First Warn Meteorologist Joey Marino, the area in which the highest impacts will occur has shifted southward.

“However, that could very well change throughout the day as more details regarding Friday’s system reveal themselves,” he said. “So, it will be VERY important to pay attention to the forecast this afternoon and evening for the latest. 

“As of right now, it does still look like this event will begin as a light wintry mix, with a changeover to snow showers after mid-day. Any snow that does manage to fall will be heavy and wet, and will have a difficult time overcoming the extremely warm pavement temperatures. But you should expect some impacts to Friday’s evening commute,” Marino added.