Power outages getting longer as extreme weather takes larger toll, report says

Power outages across the United States are getting longer, according to a recent survey by JD Power, which cites “increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events.”

The average length of the longest power outage has increased in all regions since 2022, from 8.1 hours to 12.8 by the midpoint of 2025. Customers in the South reported the longest outages, averaging out at 18.2 hours, followed by the West at 12.4 hours, it said. 

Mark Spalinger, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power, said in an interview that while the duration of outages is increasing, the number of customers experiencing them is not. In fact, over time, the percentage of people who experience “perfect power” without any interruptions is gradually rising. However, disasters like storms and fires “are becoming so much more extreme that it creates these longer outage events that utilities are now having to deal with,” he said.

Read more at Utility Dive