The 11 Most Significant Weather-Related Outages of 2024

In recent years, the world has witnessed several significant power outages that have disrupted the lives of millions. From hurricanes and nor’easters to infrastructure failures, these events have highlighted the vulnerabilities in our power grids and the urgent need for resilient infrastructure. This report delves into the top 10 global and US power outages, from the nationwide blackout in Ecuador to the devastating hurricanes that struck the southeastern United States, these events underscore the critical importance of robust and reliable power systems in our increasingly interconnected world. As meteorologists and other experts continue to warn that climate change will persist as an increasing factor in the frequency, duration and intensity of these severe weather events, we can expect that the toll on our already-vulnerable power grid will also remain.

While weather has always been a leading cause of outages, weather-related power outages have been on the rise. From 2000 to 2023, about 80% of major power outages in the U.S. were due to weather events. The number of such outages in the last decade (2014-2023) was double that of the first decade of the century, according to Climate Central.

In 2024, severe weather spared no corner of North America, with the most extreme incidents captured by Eaton. A power management company that specializes in providing backup power solutions to businesses, Eaton has followed and reported on power outages over the last decade and a half. We understand the devastation they can cause both personally and professionally, and our thoughts are with all who have been touched by such events.

1. Total darkness in Ecuador. Ecuador experienced a nationwide power outage, plunging the entire country into darkness and affecting 18 million residents. The blackout, which occurred on June 19, 2024, was caused by a failure in the transmission line that led to a cascading disconnection across the national grid. This unprecedented event disrupted daily life, halting the capital Quito’s subway system and causing traffic chaos as signals ceased to function. Authorities attributed the outage to a long-standing lack of investment in the electrical infrastructure, which left the system vulnerable to such failures. Efforts to restore power were swift, with 95% of the electricity supply reinstated within hours.

2. Island-wide blackout affects 10 million. Cuba recently experienced a severe island-wide power outage, leaving 10 million people in the dark. The blackout, which began on Oct. 18, 2024, was triggered by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest power plant in the country. This failure caused a cascading effect, leading to the collapse of the entire national grid. In Havana, the capital city, only a small portion of the population had power restored within the first 24 hours. The situation was exacerbated by Cuba’s aging infrastructure and ongoing fuel shortages, which made it difficult to maintain and repair the power grid. During the crisis, the government implemented emergency measures including closing schools and non-essential workplaces to conserve energy.

3. A Category 4 catastrophe. Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the southeastern United States, causing nearly 4 million power outages and significant damage. The storm made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, intensifying rapidly from a Category 1 to a Category 4 in less than 24 hours due to unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rains. Hurricane Helene produced the highest storm surge on record in the Big Bend region of Florida, with water levels reaching up to 15 feet in some areas, causing catastrophic flooding particularly in western North Carolina, East Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. The inland community of Asheville, North Carolina, experienced severe flooding, trapping residents in their homes. The economic damage from Hurricane Helene is estimated to be as high as $200 billion, making it one of the costliest storms in U.S. history.

4. Back-to-back blackouts for Florida. Hurricane Milton caused widespread devastation across Florida, leading to significant power outages and extensive damage. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key, Florida, bringing powerful winds and heavy rains. In the immediate aftermath, over 3 million customers were left without power. The hardest-hit areas included counties along Florida’s central Gulf Coast. The storm also triggered numerous tornadoes, adding to the destruction and complicating recovery efforts. The back-to-back storms of Helene and Milton left extensive damage and as communities began to rebuild, the focus was on enhancing infrastructure resilience to better withstand future storms.

5. Power outages Beryl through Texas. Hurricane Beryl struck Texas with devastating force, making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda on July 8, 2024. The storm’s powerful winds and heavy rains caused widespread damage, particularly in the Houston area, where nearly 3 million people were left without power at the height of the outages. The extensive power outages led to significant challenges for residents, with many facing prolonged periods without electricity. CenterPoint Energy, the primary utility provider in the region, faced criticism for its response time and communication issues. Despite efforts to restore power quickly, some areas remained without electricity for over a week.

6. Puerto Rico’s powerless plight. Hurricane Ernesto struck Puerto Rico on Aug. 14, 2024, causing extensive damage and power outages. The storm knocked out power for over 700,000 customers, leading to prolonged blackouts and significant recovery efforts. The impact was severe, with heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides reported across the island. The storm and subsequent outages delayed the start of the new school year for students. The Puerto Rico National Guard was deployed for response and recovery efforts and took measures to protect the island’s native parrots, the Puerto Rico Amazon, by moving them indoors.

7. Sometimes it does rain in Southern California. Storms in Southern California lingering from Hurricane Kristy on Oct. 25-26, 2024, led to significant power outages, affecting thousands of residents. The heavy rain and strong winds during these dates caused widespread damage to power lines and infrastructure, resulting in prolonged blackouts. More than 850,000 customers were initially affected, with over 600,000 people still without power at the peak of the outages.

8. Maine’s nor’easter nightmare. A powerful nor’easter hit Maine on Oct. 30, 2024, causing significant power outages and affecting over 375,000 customers. The storm brought more than a foot of heavy, wet snow and strong winds, which led to widespread damage to power lines and infrastructure. Despite the storm, Maine experienced record-breaking warmth on Halloween, with temperatures reaching the mid to upper 70s. This unusual warmth was followed by much cooler weather over the weekend. As of Oct. 31, 2024, 175,000 customers were still without power. The hardest-hit areas included southern Maine and coastal regions. Central Maine Power and Versant Power had deployed hundreds of crews to restore power, but full restoration was expected to take several days.

9. Louisiana’s stormy struggle. Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana on Sept. 11, 2024, as a Category 2 storm, causing major power outages and affecting 327,000 southeastern residents. The hurricane’s strong winds, with gusts up to 100 mph, and heavy rains led to widespread power disruptions. The storm caused significant damage to power lines and infrastructure, leading to prolonged outages to homes, businesses and schools. Key facilities like Port Fourchon and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port were also closed.

10. Ohio’s storm surge. A powerful storm hit Ohio on Aug. 7, 2024, causing significant power outages and leaving over 300,000 homes without electricity. The storm’s impact was particularly severe in the greater Cleveland area, where 104 mph tornadoes, strong winds and heavy rains led to widespread damage to power lines and infrastructure. The storm caused flooding and downed trees, further complicating recovery efforts.

11. Cyclone chaos. A powerful bomb cyclone struck the northwestern U.S. on Nov. 20, 2024, causing widespread devastation. The storm’s hurricane-force winds and heavy rains led to significant power outages, affecting over 600,000 homes across multiple states. Washington was hit hardest, with around 460,000 homes losing power. Oregon, California and Nevada also experienced outages, with thousands of residents left in the dark. The storm downed trees and power lines, causing extensive damage and leaving many communities struggling to restore electricity.

The U.S. experiences more power outages than any other developed nation. And when the grid goes down, companies like yours suffer; every minute of downtime results in thousands of dollars lost in productivity. But what causes downtime? The truth is, unforeseen mishaps and grid maintenance issues are often to blame.

Consider the price of one missed “9.” Collaboration and messaging software company Slack surrendered $8.2 million in revenue after its work-communications platform went down for about two hours over a 92-day period in 2019. The hefty sum was issued in credits to users after the company achieved only 99.9% service uptime for the quarter — short of its 99.99% commitment (which allows just 52 minutes, 36 seconds of downtime per year).

Meanwhile, personnel at Nissan and Infiniti dealerships endured a bumpy road following an August 18, 2019 outage that knocked out key systems at the firm’s Colorado data center, halting functions that dealers use to perform essential tasks at franchise locations. While some systems were restored within a couple of days, others remained offline longer, preventing dealers from ordering new cars and parts for vehicles, checking incentives and rebates, filing warranty claims, checking for recalls, and even determining how much customers owed on a loan or lease.

The 15 most unusual worldwide power outages of 2024

While tracking power outages over the past decade, Eaton has exposed some of the wildest and most unique initiators of blackouts. Each year, we are proud to share our collection of the most bizarre electricity-cutting instigators throughout the U.S. and Canada. Below is our 2024 roundup: 

1. What the forklift?! In the Lewiston-Auburn area of Maine, a stolen forklift took an unexpected detour on Aug. 18, 2024, hitting power lines and causing a major outage. Nearly 7,000 people were left in the dark thanks to this unusual joyride.

2. Toronto chainsaw massacre. In Toronto, Canada, a chainsaw incident on June 15, 2024, led to a power outage that left thousands without electricity. The unusual event, where an individual cut a service pole with a chainsaw, left 7,800 homes in the dark and wondering who let Leatherface in Canada.

3. Call the Wichita Linemen. On Jan. 3, 2024, a series of unusual events led to a power outage in downtown Wichita Falls, KS. It began with a squirrel causing a short circuit, which then led to a blown transformer. This caused a traffic light to malfunction, resulting in a car accident that knocked down a utility pole. The combined incidents left around 1,300 people without power for a while.

4. Crushstation vs. the Substation. On June 2, 2024, a monster truck named Crushstation caused quite the spectacle when it soared into a power line during a stunt. The impact led to several injuries and a power outage in the area. Emergency services quickly responded to the scene to assist the injured and restore power. The incident left spectators and residents in shock as they dealt with the unexpected chaos.

5. Helicopter view. In Benton City and Prosser, Wash., on June 2, 2024, a helicopter pilot had a rather shocking day at work when they accidentally hit a transmission line while drying cherries after a rainstorm. This unexpected collision caused significant power outages, leaving many residents in the dark and probably wondering if they should switch to solar power. The helicopter managed to land safely, and thankfully, no one was hurt.

6. Otherworldly orbs? In a tranquil Montana town on October 15, 2024, residents were left scratching their heads when a mysterious blackout plunged the entire town into darkness. As if that wasn’t strange enough, glowing orbs were spotted floating around, adding a touch of the supernatural to the mix. While the cause of the blackout remains a mystery, the glowing orbs have sparked all sorts of wild theories. Some residents are convinced it was a UFO encounter, while others think it might have been a rare natural phenomenon like ball lightning. One local even joked that it was the ghosts of Halloween past, arriving a bit early to get the party started.

7. Well, I’ll be dammed. In the Pacific Power service area of Portland, Ore., a beaver’s handiwork led to a significant power outage on May 22, 2024. The curious critter chewed through a tree, causing it to topple onto power lines and disrupt service for 33,000 customers.

8. Donut try this at home. In a shocking turn of events, a driver’s donut stunt on Oct. 28, 2024, in Cape Coral, Fla., led to an unexpected power outage. The driver lost control and crashed into power lines, causing an outage that affected over 1,000 homes, reminding everyone that donuts belong in bakeries, not the streets.

9. The electric ssslide. In Independence, Mo., a snake’s curiosity led to an unexpected power outage on July 6, 2024. The reptile slithered into electrical equipment, causing 1,400 residents to lose electricity. Now that’s sssneaky.

10. Here to foil your plans. In Cleveland, Ohio, a foil balloon caused a power outage on February 9, 2024, affecting 600 customers. The incident prompted FirstEnergy to issue warnings about the dangers of such objects near power lines, especially around Valentine’s Day, when these balloons are common gifts. The balloon’s metallic coating conducted electricity, leading to the outage.

11. Fly like an eagle. In Kodiak, Alaska, the local eagles have taken their mischief to new heights—literally! These feathered troublemakers caused quite the ruckus on Feb. 24, 2024, by disrupting the city’s electrical grid, leading to power outages. These birds have taken a liking to perching on power lines, which has resulted in some unexpected blackouts for the town.

12. Tumbleweed takedown. In a scene straight out of a wild west movie, an errant tumbleweed caused quite the commotion in Powell, Wyo. On a rainy and windy day, this rogue tumbleweed managed to knock out power by colliding with a power line.

13. Nesting nightmare. In Hancock County, Maine, an osprey caused quite a stir on May 1, 2024, when its nesting activities led to a significant power outage. The bird’s nest interfered with a power line, resulting in over 10,000 customers losing electricity. Central Maine Power swooped in to resolve the issue quickly.

14. Don’t get squirrely. In Flagstaff, Ariz., a squirrel caused some mayhem on Jan. 24, 2024, when it triggered an area-wide power outage. The small critter managed to disrupt electrical equipment, leading to a brief outage that affected several schools and nearly 2,300 residents.

15. An app-etizing solution. Rounding out the list is not necessarily a unique power outage as much as it a unique response to one. In a fascinating blend of technology and ingenuity, residents of Texas turned to the Whataburger app to track power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl in July 2024. The storm, which brought heavy rains and strong winds, led to widespread power disruptions across Texas that weren’t being accurately reported to the public. Residents were able to use the app to see what areas had been affected and which had their power restored.

Eaton's Blackout Tracker Annual Reports (2009-2018)

From 2008 to 2018, Eaton tracked power outages to provide helpful information to businesses on their causes and impacts. In 2019, we opted to move from the historic Blackout Tracker Annual Report and instead, focus on sharing some of the year’s most compelling stories associated with power, as well as explore the impacts of blackouts on a variety of specific industries.

A power outage is just one of nine common power problems that impact power quality and availability. In many cases, they occur within a building or facility and are not reported publicly. As a result, power-related problems occur far more frequently than what is shown in the Blackout Tracker Report. All of our reports available to download are posted below. For the latest power outage data, please visit poweroutage.us.