Factbox-Over 189,000 US customers without power after winter storm

(Reuters) – More than 189,000 homes and businesses in the central and southern U.S. were without power late on Monday, data from PowerOutage.us showed, after a winter storm brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures.

The U.S. is bracing for further disruption as blizzard conditions persist in several states.

The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to move offshore late on Monday to be replaced by Arctic air, lowering daytime temperatures significantly.

Governors in several states, including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia and Virginia, have declared states of emergency.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on Sunday announced a weather watch from Jan. 6-10, saying anticipated cold weather across its region could boost demand for electricity and reduce reserves.

However, it said grid operations were forecast to remain normal during the weather watch.

Transmission organisation PJM Interconnection issued a cold weather advisory for its Western Region, which includes parts of Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, for Jan. 8-10.

The advisory helps power producers prepare for extreme weather and ensures reliable electricity supply during periods of high demand.

Appalachian Power Company reported the highest number of affected customers, with 43,850 without power in Virginia and 28,525 in West Virginia.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:) Indiana said 33,364 clients had reported power outages in Indiana.

Here are the major outages by state:

State Outages

Virginia

55,709

Kentucky

36,012

Indiana

35,811

West Virginia

32,135

Illinois

29,387

Total (EPA:) Out

189,054