How long do power outages last?
Most outages end within a few hours. On ordinary days the average US outage lasts about 2.1 hours (EIA, 2024). Of 736,111 county outages from 2018 to 2025, 81% ended within 4 hours, 1 in 50 lasted more than a day and 1 in 250 more than 3 days. After Hurricane Helene, 98 counties stayed dark for more than a week.
For your own county’s outage lengths: power outage history by ZIP code.
How long outages last, from 736,111 county outages
DOE records how many customers are out in every county every 15 minutes, read from power company outage maps. We count an outage when at least 1 in 100 of a county’s homes are out at once, and follow it until the power is back. This covers 2018–2025 in counties with good records.
| How long | Share of outages that hit 1 in 100 homes | Share of bigger outages (1 in 20 homes) |
|---|---|---|
| Longer than 4 hours | 19% (1 in 5) | 20% (1 in 5) |
| Longer than 12 hours | 4.7% (1 in 21) | 6.3% (1 in 16) |
| Longer than 1 day | 2.0% (1 in 50) | 3.1% (1 in 32) |
| Longer than 3 days | 0.4% (1 in 250) | 0.7% (1 in 140) |
Bigger outages last longer. When at least 1 in 20 homes go dark, the share lasting more than a day rises to 3.1%. Outages shorter than 15 minutes are mostly missing from these records.
The average outage, year by year
Power companies also report the average length of each outage their customers see (the industry calls it CAIDI). On ordinary days it has stayed near 2 hours for a decade. Counting major storms, it swings with the hurricane season.
| Year | Average outage, ordinary days | Average outage, all days incl. major storms |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.1 h | 7.2 h |
| 2023 | 2 h | 4.5 h |
| 2022 | 2 h | 3.9 h |
| 2021 | 2 h | 5.5 h |
| 2020 | 1.9 h | 5.5 h |
| 2019 | 2 h | 3.7 h |
| 2018 | 1.9 h | 4.3 h |
| 2017 | 1.9 h | 5.9 h |
| 2016 | 1.8 h | 3.4 h |
| 2015 | 1.8 h | 2.7 h |
| 2014 | 1.8 h | 3.1 h |
| 2013 | 1.9 h | 3.2 h |
How long outages lasted after recent storms
For each storm, the counties in its path where at least 1 in 20 homes lost power in its first 4 days, and how long the longest outage in each of those counties ran.
“Counties hit”: at least 1 in 20 homes lost power. The next three columns count the counties hit whose longest outage ran past 1 day, 3 days and a week (so they overlap). “Typical county’s longest outage”: half the counties hit had a shorter one, half a longer one.
| Storm | Counties hit | Out over 1 day | Over 3 days | Over a week | Typical county’s longest outage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene September 2024 | 344 | 232 | 160 | 98 | 2.6 days |
| Winter Storm Uri February 2021 | 427 | 192 | 134 | 10 | 14 hours |
| Hurricane Michael October 2018 | 296 | 180 | 80 | 10 | 39 hours |
| Hurricane Zeta October 2020 | 252 | 133 | 68 | 13 | 28 hours |
| Winter Storm Elliott December 2022 | 596 | 125 | 27 | 0 | 10 hours |
| Hurricane Isaias August 2020 | 180 | 124 | 40 | 5 | 38 hours |
| Hurricane Ian September 2022 | 167 | 90 | 19 | 7 | 27 hours |
| Midwest derecho August 2020 | 159 | 74 | 41 | 13 | 22 hours |
| Hurricane Laura August 2020 | 161 | 67 | 37 | 19 | 17 hours |
| Hurricane Delta October 2020 | 105 | 59 | 35 | 4 | 35 hours |
| Hurricane Idalia August 2023 | 120 | 50 | 17 | 6 | 18 hours |
| Hurricane Florence September 2018 | 79 | 45 | 29 | 9 | 44 hours |
| Hurricane Ida August 2021 | 80 | 45 | 25 | 21 | 34 hours |
| Hurricane Beryl July 2024 | 88 | 44 | 19 | 8 | 24 hours |
| Hurricane Debby August 2024 | 161 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 13 hours |
| Hurricane Milton October 2024 | 42 | 33 | 27 | 1 | 4 days |
| Remnants of Ida September 2021 | 32 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 27 hours |
| Hurricane Francine September 2024 | 74 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 13 hours |
| Houston derecho May 2024 | 52 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 10 hours |
| Hurricane Sally September 2020 | 73 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 6 hours |
Storms are matched to outages by date and state, not by a confirmed cause. Outage maps sometimes go blank during a storm, which can split one long outage into shorter pieces, so long outages here are, if anything, undercounted.
Day-long outages start as often in winter as in summer
Of 14,658 county outages longer than a day, 26% began in December to February and 26% in June to August. Ice storms and cold snaps like Winter Storm Uri (Texas, 2021) cause long outages when people need heat most.
What to plan for
- Up to 4 hours (most outages): a closed fridge keeps food safe (USDA). A small power station runs a CPAP, Wi-Fi and phones.
- Up to a day: food starts to spoil after 4 hours. A fridge uses about 2 kWh a day, so a power station of about 2.5 kWh covers it (you can use about 85% of the battery). A full freezer holds about 48 hours.
- Several days (after the worst storms): plan for a generator with fuel, or a large power station you can recharge from solar. A furnace, well or sump pump needs a transfer switch, or a battery backup sump pump for the basement.
Which of these fits depends on where you live. Look up your ZIP to see how long outages have lasted in your county.
Questions people ask
How long do power outages usually last?
Most last a few hours. The average US outage lasts about 2.1 hours on ordinary days and 7.2 hours once major storms are counted (EIA, 2024). About 81% of county outages end within 4 hours.
How long do power outages last after a storm?
In the counties a big storm hits hardest, the longest outage typically ran 14 hours to 38 hours across the 20 storms we checked since 2018. After Hurricane Helene in 2024 it was about 2.6 days, and 98 counties were out more than a week.
How long will my power be out right now?
Check your power company's outage map. Most post an estimated restoration time for your address. Our data shows how long past outages lasted, not current ones.
How long does food last in the fridge without power?
About 4 hours if you keep the door closed, according to USDA. A full freezer holds about 48 hours, a half-full one about 24.
Sources
- DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I county outage records 2014–2025, figshare v4, CC BY 4.0. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.24237376.v4
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 reliability data (CAIDI, IEEE 1366), 2013–2024. eia.gov
- National Hurricane Center tropical cyclone reports, for storm dates. nhc.noaa.gov
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Keep your food safe during emergencies.” fsis.usda.gov
Related: power outage history by ZIP code · power outages by state.