Cleveland County, NC Power Outages
Only some utilities serving Cleveland County, North Carolina share live outage data (Rutherford Elec Member Corp), and none of them report outages here right now. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC and City of Shelby - (NC) do not share live data, so check their outage maps for real-time status.
Cleveland County on the North Carolina outage map
- Normal
- Minor
- Moderate
- Major
- Severe
- Limited data
Current outages
Weather alerts
No active outage-relevant weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
Cleveland County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in Cleveland County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 315 significant power outages in Cleveland County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Sep 25 – Oct 7, 2024) came when flooding left 41,519 customers (100% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 33 hr 26 min of power per year, more than the North Carolina average of 26 hr 3 min. That ranks 33rd of 100 North Carolina counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
September is the riskiest month: it accounted for 54% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 119 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in Cleveland County has risen recently: about 58 hr 1 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 8 hr 52 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Dec 30, 2025) affected 255 customers (1.4%) amid high winds.
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 25 – Oct 7, 2024 | 41,519(100%) | 13 | Flooding |
| 2 | Oct 23–26, 2017 | 6,713(35.6%) | 4 | Tornadoes |
| 3 | May 8–11, 2024 | 6,448(34.2%) | 4 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 4 | Jul 14, 2023 | 5,348(28.4%) | 1 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 5 | May 26 – Jun 2, 2018 | 5,322(28.2%) | 8 | Hail and lightning |
Hours without power per customer, by year
When outages happen
Source: DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I recorded electricity outages, 2014–2025 (CC BY 4.0), with likely causes from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database. EAGLE-I coverage was partial before 2018, so averages use 2018–2025. Peak counts are the highest number of customers out at one time.
Who provides electricity in Cleveland County?
Electric companies with service territory in Cleveland County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (NC) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas | Investor Owned | 2,274,896 | Not reporting | |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 78,498 | Reporting | |
| City of Shelby - (NC) | Municipal | 9,219 | Not reporting | |
| City of Kings Mountain - (NC) | Municipal | 5,487 | Not reporting | |
| Broad River Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 498 | Not reporting |
Customer counts are each utility's statewide total in North Carolina. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 & Electric Power Annual.
Local outage news
No Cleveland County outage headlines in the past week.
Cities in Cleveland County
Shelby
Nearby counties
Cleveland County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in Cleveland County right now?
No outages are currently reported for Cleveland County by participating utilities. Live coverage is limited here, so If your power is out, report it to your electric company.
Which electric company serves Cleveland County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Rutherford Elec Member Corp, City of Shelby - (NC), City of Kings Mountain - (NC) and 1 others provide electric service in Cleveland County, North Carolina.
What was the worst power outage in Cleveland County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Sep 25 – Oct 7, 2024. It peaked at 41,519 customers without power (100% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to flooding.
How often does the power go out in Cleveland County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 315 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 33 hr 26 min of power per year, and on 119 days at least 5% of customers were out at once.
Cite this page
You may reuse our derived data under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Underlying government data is public domain.
PowerOutageTracker.com. "Cleveland County, NC Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/north-carolina/cleveland-county