Heat Season Power Outages

The United States saw a 60% increase in major weather-related power outages during the heat season between 2014-2023 compared to 2000-2009. The South region experienced the highest number of these events, with Texas and Michigan recording the most outages at the state level. These outages compound health risks for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and children, particularly when overlapping with extreme heat waves. Proposed solutions for grid resilience include the implementation of microgrids, smart grid technologies, and physical hardening of infrastructure.

• Major weather-related power outages during the heat season (May-September) increased by approximately 60% in the U.S. during the period 2014-2023 (399 events) compared to 2000-2009 (245 events). These heat season outages represented 47% (831 events) of all weather-related outages between 2000 and 2023.
• The South region had the highest number of heat season power outages (175), followed by the Southeast (169), Northeast (159), and Ohio Valley (158). At the state level, Texas led with 107 events, followed by Michigan with 90 events.
• Overlapping power outages and extreme heat significantly increase health risks, particularly for children, the elderly, and those relying on medical equipment. In Atlanta, Detroit, and Phoenix, between 68% and 100% of the population would face elevated risk of heat stroke or exhaustion during combined events, potentially more than doubling heat-related mortality rates.
• Vulnerable populations, including people of color and those in economically disadvantaged counties, often face longer power restoration times. For example, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Michigan saw significantly more long-duration outages (eight hours or longer) in counties with high socially- and medically-vulnerable populations between 2018 and 2020.
• To improve grid resilience against climate-driven weather events, the document suggests adopting microgrids powered by renewables, smart grid sensors, and 'hardening' measures such as burying transmission lines and replacing wooden poles with steel or concrete.

APA

Climate Central (2024). Heat Season Power Outages. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heat-season-power-outages

Chicago

Climate Central. Heat Season Power Outages. 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heat-season-power-outages.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Heat Season Power Outages |date=21 August 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heat-season-power-outages |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2024heat, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Heat Season Power Outages}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/heat-season-power-outages}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }