Current Power Outages in the U.S.

Looking to see if there’s a power outage in your area? Use the interactive map above to find active power outages near you and throughout North America. Power event data is updated every 5 minutes and you must refresh the page get the most accurate and up-to-date information. If you are looking to know when your power will come back online, please contact your local service provider. You can also use the links below to find power outage maps near you. Poweroutage.fyi’s power event maps use Gridmetrics’ unique data set to provide an unmatched observational view of the state of power in the last mile of the distribution grid.

Find a Power Outage Near Me

View all power outages in the U.S.

How long does it take to fix a power outage?

The duration of a power outage typically depends on the cause for it: If the power outage is due to an isolated failure, such as a single downed power line, it may take just a few hours to fix. However, if the outage is due to a far-reaching or severe natural disaster, such as flood, earthquake, or high winds, it may last for days or even weeks.

Power companies prioritize returning power to community hospitals, airports, schools, stores, and other vital services before residential areas. Residential areas are then triaged to maximize the number of people whose power returns with a single fix.

The duration of a power outage may also be impacted by population density and the number of workers available to address outages in an area. If you lose power in a densely-populated area with plenty of infrastructure, you can expect outages to be shorter than in a rural area with fewer workers and roads to address outages.

How to Prepare for a Power Outage

One of the best ways to prepare for a power outage is to first know who to notify. Your utility provider should present a phone number or website to report outages when initiating service. If you are staying away from home or renting, make sure to ask the owner of the property what company provides power to the location. Keep contact information for the power company in a place that is easy to remember and reach if you find yourself suddenly in the dark, and make sure to report the outage right away.

It’s also useful to have a few necessities on hand, especially if you live in a rural area or an area prone to power outages. Although the contents of emergency preparation kits may vary by location, expected weather conditions, and personal preferences, they should always contain the following:

At least one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days (don’t forget your pets/animals!)
Enough nonperishable food for at least three days
Flashlights (and extra batteries)
First aid supplies
Essentials like candles, can openers, firestarters, power sources for cell phones, and/or pocket knives/other tools

Check out Ready.gov for more advice on building your emergency preparation kit.

How to Check the Status of a Power Outage

You may consult poweroutage.fyi for outages in your area, general information, and what to expect during a power outage. Most local power companies now have an automated phone recording with reliable estimates for the duration of outages. This recording may play when you first call to report your power outage, indicating that others in your area have already reported it. However, don’t let this deter you from reporting a power outage: the more unique reports of the outage, the easier it is for utility providers to isolate the problem and fix it. Many utility providers also have live power outage maps available on their websites, where you can now track the return of power to your neighborhood in real time.

Where does PowerOutage.FYI get its data from?

The data represented by Gridmetrics is sourced from communications company equipment that power their last mile of data delivery services. Specifically, the data is aggregated from the gear powering the last miles of communications networks such as a community WiFi hotspot, a 5G small cell, or a broadband fiber node. The data does NOT come from residential equipment nor does it contain any PII (Personally Identifiable Information). Today, there are over 345,000 Gridmetrics sensors reporting every 5 minutes. This provides a holistic, real-time view of the state of power with hyper-locality down to a square kilometer. It is important to note that the data is observational only and designed to complement data from power companies.

PowerOutage.FYI is brought to you by Gridmetrics— the Leader in actionable power intelligence solutions within the distribution grid. Learn more about Gridmetrics.