CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Nearly one-third of Appalachian Power customers in West Virginia remained without power as of Thursday morning.

There were 140,557 customers waiting for power across the state, which makes up 32.1 percent of the customer base, according to the company website just before noon.

In Kanawha County, 38,021 people -- or 36.9 percent of customers -- were without power Thursday morning.

The highest concentration of outages was in Greenbrier and Clay counties, with 96 percent and 94 percent of people without power, respectively.

Overall, more than 217,000 utility customers across the state remain without electricity as of Thursday morning. 

A heat advisory is in effect for the western half of the state, from the Northern Panhandle to the southern coalfields, until 7 p.m. The National Weather Service says the region will see temperatures near 100 degrees and high humidity.

Cooling stations and shelters remain open across the state for people needing relief from the heat.

The state Department of Transportation said Thursday that most highway exits in the state had businesses open with food, gas and ice.