As daylight faded Saturday, many households across the Northeast and Midwest had to endure dangerous heat without air conditioning. Severe storms, strong winds, and an ongoing heat wave knocked out electricity to more than 1.2 million customers, KTRH reported.
What happened?
More than a million customers lost electric service on Saturday as utilities across much of the country responded to outages caused by extreme heat and storm damage, according to KTRH.
On a brutally hot Fourth of July, about 1,281,000 U.S. utility customers were without power nationwide. Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were the hardest-hit states, each with more than 250,000 outages. Maryland had roughly 131,000 and Missouri had about 84,000.
Outages happened from Connecticut to New York, through Pennsylvania and Ohio, into Michigan, and as far south as Arkansas.
Crews from many utilities are working continuously to restore service as many people are still without power.
PJM, the largest U.S. power grid operator, on Friday told customers enrolled in emergency electricity reduction programs to cut their usage. In the meantime, it dealt with generator outages, strained transmission lines, and heavy air conditioning demand during the continuing heat wave.
Why are these power outages concerning?
When the power goes out during a heat wave, the consequences can be serious. Homes can quickly become dangerous for older adults, children, and people with underlying health conditions. At the same time, food spoils, medicines may be compromised, and families can lose access to cooling, communications, and even clean water.
Extreme weather events put strain on already stressed infrastructure. They also put public health, community safety, and economic stability at risk, especially when people are unable to work, businesses are forced to close, and emergency services are stretched thin.
Save $10,000 on solar panels without even sharing your phone number Want to go solar but not sure who to trust? EnergySage has your back with free and transparent quotes from fully vetted providers in your area. To get started, just answer a few questions about your home — no phone number required. Within a day or two, EnergySage will email you the best options for your needs, and their expert advisers can help you compare quotes and pick a winner. Solar panels can save you more than $50k over their 25-year lifespan, and EnergySage can help you save as much as $10k on installation. Which begs the question — isn't that worth an email or two? |
Battery storage is one of the most effective ways to protect a home during outages, save on energy costs, and reduce reliance on the grid altogether. It can help keep essentials like lights, phones, refrigeration, and medical devices running when service fails.
What's being done?
Utilities and grid operators are working to stabilize the system by repairing storm damage, rerouting power where possible, and asking some customers to temporarily reduce electricity use during times of peak demand.
For people trying to protect themselves from future outages, it may be worth exploring EnergySage's free tools to get information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates. EnergySage has also teamed up with the electrification brand Qmerit to guarantee you get the best price on home battery storage solutions.
Another option is Pila, which offers excellent battery backup solutions. Its plug-and-play batteries are priced at a fraction of the cost of a whole-home backup system, making them a more accessible choice for renters or anyone not ready for a larger installation.
People can also reduce outage risks during extreme heat by pre-cooling their homes, charging devices early, keeping backup water and ice on hand, and checking in on neighbors beforehand.
Dangerous heat and severe weather can quickly overwhelm the grid. As summer extremes intensify, stronger infrastructure, smarter energy use, and practical backup options could make the next blackout far less dangerous.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
