After the arctic blast ripped through Shreveport and the entire ArkLaTex region yesterday and overnight, thousands are waking up in the dark and cold this morning.

Early Friday, SWEPCO reported more than 8,000 customers in the area without service, likely due to strong winds that resulted in downed power lines.

According to KTBS-TV, when extreme weather rolls in, outages are likely. Click here to connect with SWEPCO and see a real-time map of outages in the area. You can also report an outage and get an update on when your power is likely to be restored.