PPL Electric Utilitiesis putting personnel and supplies in place Friday afternoon (6/1) to respond to potentially damaging storms expected to pass through its service territory this afternoon and tonight.

The utility's forecasts anticipate that moderate to severe thunderstorms, combined with wind gusts between 35 and 50 miles per hour, will pass through the Harrisburg region starting at about 4 p.m. and continue east through the company's service territory, arriving between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Lehigh Valley and other eastern areas.

"The lightning and wind gusts have potential to cause significant damage, particularly in the Harrisburg and Lancaster regions, where the storm is expected to be most severe," said Tony Bazzani, director of system emergency for the utility. "We are taking this storm seriously and making preparations to respond."

Employee crews already on the job are being held over for evening work and regional storm control rooms are being opened throughout the utility's service area. Contractors that typically support PPL Electric Utilities are on notice and are expected to be available if needed.

PPL Electric Utilities urges customers to report their outages by calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775) or by visiting the online Outage Center atwww.pplelectric.com/outage. The Outage Center has been upgraded since last fall to be mobile ready. MyPPL Alerts also are available for storm outage updates; advance account registration is required at www.pplelectric.com/alerts.

We rely on customers' reports to help us assess the extent of damage. Please do not assume others have reported your outage. Outage events are prioritized based on public health and safety and the number of affected customers.

The company also urges customers to stay safe during the storm. Stay away from any downed power lines, and keep pets and children away as well. Always assume lines are energized in all conditions. Please call PPL Electric Utilities at the number above to report any downed lines or any visible equipment damage.

Please do not travel in hazardous conditions unless necessary, and stay inside during lightning storms. For more tips on staying safe in lightning storms, visitlightningsafety.noaa.gov.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania and has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States.www.pplelectric.com.