After snow, some JCP&L customers might be in dark for 4 days

Thousands of people who lost power in North Jersey during Monday's snow storm may not get it back until Thursday night.

The snow wound down just after dawn on Tuesday morning after after dropping varying amounts across the state — ranging from nothing at all in South Jersey to more than 10 to 14 inches of heavy snow and ice, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

JCP&L said on its Twitter account that its customers in Hunterdon and Warren counties would not get power back until 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, while Morris County customers may not be restored until 6 p.m. Thursday. Sussex County customers may have to wait until 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

The peak number of outages was 51,000 on Tuesday morning, according JCP&L. As of Wednesday morning, the utility said there were still 24,000 customers without power. Another 6,000 Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative customers in rural areas were still without power late Tuesday.

"We have hundreds of boots on the ground, including contractors, JCP&L crews from our central service area and FirstEnergy sister utilities, and PSE&G crews. They will be working through the night and 24/7 until all customers are restored," the utility wrote.

Crew works on power lines in North Jersey (JCP&L)

One hundred and fifty-four forestry crews are helping clear tree damage to allow crews to reach damaged wires and poles.

The Red Cross set up an overnight shelter at Sussex County Technical School.

"We know that it's cold and being without power is incredibly difficult. We truly appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding while our crews work as quickly and safely as possible," the utility wrote.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ