August Outages Leave More Than 1.1M+ Powerless In CA, MI, OH, PA

Severe storms brought heavy rain, powerful winds and flooding to many areas of the country the past two weeks. About 500,000 California residents were without power as the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary caused outages. Meanwhile more than 600,000 residents in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania collectively were also left powerless.

California utilities companies were working hard to restore power after Hillary blew through SoCal. Not only was the grid compromised, but solar generation plummeted as storm clouds covered much of the state.

"After moving inland across Southern California late Sunday, moisture associated with Hillary continued streaming northward through the Intermountain West," the US National Weather Service (NWS) said in its Aug. 21 daily discussion.

Several areas in SoCal reached new low temperature marks on Aug. 20 and set daily precipitation marks. Lake Cuyamaca recorded 4.11 inches of rain, breaking a 1984 record, while San Diego saw 1.82 inches of rain, breaking a record from 1906, according to the NWS. In Palm Springs, 3.18 inches of rain fell on Aug. 20, bringing the monthly total to 3.1 inches above normal, according to NWS.
 
At the peak of the outages, there were roughly 500,000 customers without power, according to utilities. There were more than 51,000 outages across California as of Aug. 21.
 
The cloud cover from the storm significantly decreased solar-powered generation for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) footprint.

Solar market share plummeted down to 4.4% of the total fuel mix Aug. 20, a seven-month low, according to CAISO. Thermal, wind and imports each increased about 2 percentage points day by day to fill in the gap.


But all the chaos wasn’t limited to California. Severe storms battered portions of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania the following week. This left hundreds of thousands without power across the states.
 
Early on Friday, there were over 400,000 customers without power in Michigan and over 200,000 without power in Ohio, according to PowerOutage.US (a great site to see an outage map).
 
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency after the storm. The rain resulted in flooding across the greater Detroit metro area.
 
There was flooding in Wayne County that blocked access to a major airport terminal and inundated Canton businesses and homes, according to the Detroit Free Press.
 
Thursday started with flooding, widespread power outages, dozens of flight delays, cancellations, and extreme heat. Hail and tornadoes were also in the mix.
 
"Radar indicates a tornado on the ground near I-96 south of Williamston. Take Cover Now in the Williamston/Webberville areas," Ingham County emergency officials said in an emergency alert just before 9:40 p.m. The warning expired at 10 p.m.
 
Heavy rain and strong winds moving in from the west pummeled the Lansing region, leaving standing water on roads and trees in roadways.
 
Power outages in Ohio were reported from the northeastern portion of the state. Cuyahoga County had over 55,000 reported outages while Lake County had over 36,000 reported outages. Geauga and Portage counties each had over 23,000 reported outages.


Power Outage US recorded 48,000 power outages in PA.Outages were reported from the southwestern portion of the state, with both Allegheny and Fayette counties having over 11,000 reported. Washington County also has nearly 9,000 reported outages.
 
You know who didn’t lose power? Businesses with standby industrial generators. That’s what Generator Source does. We make sure the power is on when the grid fails our customers.

Avoid downtime, click here to see our current inventory, and give us a call at (877) 866-6895 if you have any questions. We will gladly help with sizing recommendations and give you an idea what power your operation needs.
 
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Story Summary

Which states were most affected by recent power outages?
California, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania experienced significant power outages in August 2023

What caused the power outages in California?
The remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary caused widespread outages across Southern California, affecting approximately 500,000 customers at its peak.

How many lost power in the Midwest?
Over 600,000 residents collectively lost power in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania due to severe storms.

What were some impacts of Tropical Storm Hillary in California?
Hillary brought intense rainfall, flooding, downed trees, and mudslides to Southern California. It also significantly reduced solar power generation in the state.

How long did it take to restore power in most areas?
While many customers had power restored within a day or two, some areas took longer. In San Diego County, for example, about 315 customers were still without power the day after the storm.

Did any areas set weather records during these events?
Yes, several areas in Southern California set new rainfall records. For instance, San Diego recorded 1.82 inches of rain, breaking a record from 1906.

What steps did authorities take in response to the outages?
Various measures were taken, including:

• California activated its State Operations Center to coordinate resources and support response efforts.
• Michigan's governor declared a state of emergency due to flooding in the Detroit metro area.
• Utility companies worked to restore power as quickly as possible across all affected states.

Brian La Rue | 8/30/2023 9:23:14 AM | 0 comments
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