Storm and Outage Details

Winter Storm Blair Update #13 

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 – 9 a.m.      

Situation       

Approximately 8,800 Appalachian Power customers remain without power Thursday morning following the aftermath of Winter Storm Blair, including 2,350 in Virginia and 6,450 in West Virginia. More than 100,500 customers were without electricity at the peak on Monday.

Thousands of line, tree and support workers are in the most challenging areas today, continuing to assess damage and restore power. The areas include Franklin and Tazewell counties in Virginia and Fayette, Lincoln, Mercer and Summers counties in West Virginia.

Since the storm passed, 97% of the extensive damage has been assessed, with workers finding 42 miles of downed wire, 140 damaged or broken poles and 105 transformers needing maintenance. Approximately 450 locations across the company’s service area need repairs.    

Restoration Estimates    

The estimated times of restoration (ETRs) are when Appalachian Power expects to have 90% or more customers restored. Approximate outage counts and ETRs are below (please note that not all outages are reflected in the charts below): 

Storm Restoration Efforts        

• Crews are having to repeat repairs in areas where precipitation re-freezes, thaws and causes additional outages.
• Roads in some areas remain inaccessible, and icy terrain is preventing crews from safely accessing job sites with the necessary equipment. Hazardous road conditions in remote and rural areas continue to delay travel, and crews must clear ice or debris upon arrival, further slowing progress.  
• Appalachian Power’s Storm Operations Team continues working with local and state officials to assist in restoration efforts.    
• Appalachian Power’s generation facilities follow specific protocols and procedures to combat the expected winter weather and ensure safe and reliable operations across our entire generation fleet.           

Hydro Operations     

• With cold temperatures expected to impact our territory throughout the week, PJM has notified Appalachian Power it may need to increase power generation at its hydroelectric plants to maintain the reliability of the regional electric grid.    
• Recreational users downstream of Claytor and Leesville dams should be aware that water levels on the New and Roanoke rivers could rise rapidly and fluctuate throughout the week.    
• Visit the Smith Mountain Project's website for more information.    

Weather       

• Extreme cold temperatures can cause line overload problems when trying to restore a large number of customers. We often must restore large outages in smaller groups, letting the electric load settle before restoring additional customers. Customers with outages can assist by turning off large electric appliances, such as laundry equipment and ovens, until one hour after power has been restored.              

Safety    

• Stay away from sparking equipment, downed lines or anything they may touch. This goes for children and pets, too.    
• Never remove debris that's within 10 feet of a downed power line.    
• Unplug major appliances to protect them when power comes back on.    
• Leave a light switch turned on so you know when power is restored.    
• Refuel heaters, lamps and generators outside, and away from flames or sparks. Wipe up fuel spills immediately.    
• Let us know if you're using a generator – this protects you and our line workers as they work to restore power.    
• Never operate lanterns, heaters or fuel-fired stoves without proper ventilation.    
• Never burn charcoal indoors. It releases poisonous carbon monoxide.    

Click here for additional safety tips and here for ways to save energy during low temperatures.        

For More Information       

• Customers can get specific information about the outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email by subscribing to Appalachian Power outage alerts. To sign up, please visit AppalachianPower.com/Alerts.        
• A snapshot of current outages is available anytime by visiting Appalachian Power's Outage Map.        

Next Update: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 – 2 p.m.