New data shows Houston led the US in May power outages, with some areas 9 times the national rate

May's outage data has put Houston's electric reliability back under scrutiny. As reported by KPRC, Whisker Labs ranked Houston first in the country for outages that month, and some nearby neighborhoods saw interruption rates climb to nearly nine times the national average.

What's happening?

Using Whisker Labs' figures, KPRC 2 reported that Houston had the highest number of outages among U.S. cities for the month. Whisker Labs CEO Bob Marshall said, "Outages were up sharply in Houston in May after moderating for a few months."

Some of the worst numbers were reported at the community level. Marshall also said Houston's outage frequency in April was already 2.8 times the national average, "with some communities being 9 times the national average." In May, Fulshear residents averaged more than six outages, while Kingwood, Crosby, and parts of Spring also saw notable spikes.

That represents a turn from the earlier maps, when many Houston-area neighborhoods had moved into lower-outage ranges. Yellow, orange, and red zones are now spreading across the region again.

Why does it matter?

When outages happen over and over, the disruption reaches beyond the lights: internet service can fail, remote work can be interrupted, cooling can be affected during intense Texas heat, and families already facing high utility bills take on even more stress.

Even though CenterPoint Energy has described billions of dollars in system-hardening work, KPRC reported that customers in some communities are still dealing with repeated blackouts.

Among the residents KPRC highlighted were Angelyque Peguese, a Fulshear resident and Army veteran, and her husband, Alvin Peguese, who is also an Army veteran. Both work from home and depend on a reliable power supply. The couple said that, despite having lived in other parts of the country, including California, the outages they have experienced in Fulshear have been unusually severe.

Over the past year, CenterPoint has repeatedly appeared near the top of national outage rankings.

What's being done?

CenterPoint has not disputed the Whisker Labs data, but the company says month-to-month changes should not be viewed too narrowly. Nathan Brownell, vice president of CenterPoint Energy, said, "We tend not to look at it month per month, we look at it holistically across the period of time and making sure we're trending overall."

In the statement cited by KPRC, the company said its Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative has included undergrounding more than 600 miles of power lines, installing over 69,000 storm-resilient poles, adding 650-plus automation devices meant to shorten outages, and clearing almost 11,500 miles of higher-risk vegetation.

CenterPoint also cited stormier conditions this spring. KPRC noted the company said April and May 2026 had more storm days than the same period in 2025, and that some of the hardest-hit areas also have heavier vegetation.

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