GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Thousands of people in West Michigan lost power Wednesday night as snow and strong winds moved through the region, with some outages extending into the bitterly cold overnight and early Thursday morning hours.

The lakeshore counties were hardest hit, with more than 2,700 Consumers Energy customers in Ottawa County without power, nearly 2,500 in Allegan County and about 2,100 Muskegon County. Kalamazoo and Kent counties each had about 1,300 customers without service.

The number of outages had declined significantly by Thursday morning, with fewer than 3,500 Consumers customers statewide without service. Muskegon and Ottawa counties continued to have the highest outage numbers.

On Wednesday, Consumers Energy said it had dozens of teams ready to deploy to any outages in the region. There are 200 line workers split into 80 teams staged to respond after the storm passes.

A spokesperson for Consumers Energy said there are several things that customers can do to prepare for any outages. Make sure you have an emergency kit ready, have batteries and a flashlight, keep your electronics charged and stay at least 25 feet away from downed lines. It’s best to treat them like they’re potentially live and to stay away from any trees or branches they may be touching.

It’s also advised to have a plan for anything that must remain cold, like medication or infant formula. Customers should make sure they use generators safely and not inside.