The overnight snowstorm knocked out power to almost 117,000 of PPL’s 1.5 million customers.

“Heavy, wet snow caused more outages than expected overnight and into this morning,” according to PPL spokeswoman Tracie Witter.

Among the hardest hit areas was Schuylkill County, where more than a foot of snow fell in some areas. It had more than 31,000 customers in the dark as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Witter said crews are being sent to restore power as road conditions permit.

“Because of the impact and extensive damage, we’re calling in additional crews to supplement our efforts. This includes line workers, foresters, damage assessors, electricians and call center staff,” she said.

Just before noon Tuesday, the numbers of those without power in Schuyklill County had dropped to 102,000.

“PPL Electric crews will work around-the-clock as safely and efficiently as possible to restore customers impacted by this winter storm,” Witter said.

But in Schuylkill Township, which includes the villages of Tuscarora, Mary D and Brockton, more than 2,000 of 3,200 remain without power. Electricity should be restored to most customers by 4 p.m. Thursday, according to PPL’s online Power Outage Center.

In South Tamaqua, more than 1,400 were without power but it should be back by 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the center.

Other areas impacted included Coaldale with 192; Rush Township with 221, and West Penn with 694. Those areas should also be back on the grid by 11 p.m. Wednesday, PPL noted.

Carbon County logged 1,387 customers without power; Lehigh County had 2,920, and Monroe had 2,343.

“Even with the best preparation, storms and severe weather can cause damage and result in outages,” Witter said.

She noted that customers can report power outages or check the status of their outage online at pplelectric.com/outage or by texting “Outage” or “Status” to TXTPPL (898775).

Witter also offered the following tips:

If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away.

Remember that candles can start fires. Use flashlights instead.

If you lose power and are using a portable generator, never operate the generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.

Keep a safe distance from PPL crews.