While many folks in the Mahoning and Shenango vallies are preparing to hunker down for the impending snow storm expected to hit the area Tuesday, FirstEnergy is also preparing.

In Ohio, wet snow is expected to fall across parts of northern and central Ohio beginning early Tuesday morning before transitioning to rain later in the day Tuesday through Wednesday. Strong wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour (mph) are expected, with some areas along the northeast Ohio lakeshore reaching wind speeds of more than 60 mph.

In Pennsylvania, snow is expected in northern and central Pennsylvania early Tuesday and will become increasingly wet throughout the day before transitioning to rain. Heavy rains are expected across most portions of central and eastern Pennsylvania, with localized flooding possible through Wednesday. Strong wind gusts of more than 50 mph are expected, with some areas along the northwestern lakeshore reaching wind speeds of more than 60 mph.

The FirstEnergy's electric companies are implementing storm response plans, which include:

• Implementing 16-hour shifts for storm personnel with around-the-clock coverage.
• Additional staffing for internal operators, damage assessors and analysts at distribution control centers to assist with high volumes of outage calls.
• Notifying contractors to be ready to assist with restoration efforts.
• Securing additional line, substation and forestry personnel.
• Contacting emergency management, state and local officials about the company's storm operations.

"We are vigilantly monitoring both the current storm system and the forecasted severe weather over the next week, and we are committed to taking every necessary step to ensure safe and prompt restoration of electric service for our customers," the company said in a statement Monday.