Utility crews were back in action Wednesday in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Thousands of homes and businesses were without power following storms earlier this week.

The storms late Monday and early Tuesday toppled trees and knocked out power to more than 150,000 homes and businesses. By late Wednesday morning, that number had dropped to fewer than 30,000.

Xcel Energy said it had about 1,700 employees and contractors on site to resolve outages, with priority given to those affecting the largest number of customers.

The utility said power may not be restored to everyone until Thursday evening. In Minneapolis, where several thousand residents were without power Wednesday, city officials urged people to check on their neighbors – especially the elderly and those with health problems or disabilities.

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City officials also shared tips from the federal government for use in the event of extended power outages, including unplugging electrical and electronic devices during power outages to avoid damage from potential power surges.

Federal officials also say people should throw away any refrigerated or frozen food that has been exposed to temperatures of 40 degrees or more for more than two hours – or has an unusual odor, color or consistency.

Connexus Energy also reported numerous outages on Wednesday, from the northern metropolis of the Twin Cities to Isanti and Cambridge.

Meanwhile, city and park workers and residents continued to clear downed trees and limbs. Calm weather was forecast for Minnesota on Wednesday, but there is a renewed chance of storms — some potentially severe — on Thursday.