New Survey Shows Power Outages Getting Longer Across the US

From rising demand to aging infrastructure, there’s a lot of stress on the grid right now. One challenge — extreme weather and natural disasters — is leading to longer outages across the country.

That’s according to a new survey, conducted by J.D. Power and Associates, asking utility customers about their experience with service interruptions this year.

The story on outages

According to the results, 45% of Americans experienced an outage in the first half of 2025, and about half of those were due to extreme weather. Large weather events and other disasters (like wildfires) tend to lead to longer outages, and the average length of the longest outage has grown over the years. Halfway through 2025, the longest outage reported averaged 12.8 hours, up from 8.1 hours in 2022. In the South, the longest outage averaged 18.2 hours long.

In the South, hurricanes caused significant and lengthy outages. When hurricanes caused outages, they averaged 80 hours, according to the survey. In the West, wildfires and wildfire prevention disrupted the power supply. Four percent of people in the West experienced an outage due to fire, and 6% had their power interrupted due to a utility proactively cutting the power to avoid sparking a fire.

Dealing with outages

Whether it’s for a few minutes or a few hours, a power outage is at least annoying and at worst downright dangerous. Luckily, there are ways to lessen the burden of a blackout.

Solar and at-home energy storage can help get you through with clean, reliable power as long as the sun’s shining.

A home battery may not power your whole home — that depends on the number and size of batteries you have installed and how much power your home uses — but can power essentials, like lights, a refrigerator, and your internet connection. Compared to other backup options, batteries have the advantage of operating quietly and cleanly. When paired with solar panels, they can recharge when the sun rises, keeping your phone and laptop charged through even the longest outage.

See what solar and storage can do for you with a free quote from Palmetto and expert guidance on what's best for your home.