Columbus County, NC Power Outages
Utilities serving Columbus County, North Carolina don't yet share live outage data with DOE's ODIN feed. Check your electric company's outage map (listed below) for real-time status.
Columbus 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.
Columbus County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in Columbus County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 245 significant power outages in Columbus County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Sep 13–24, 2018) came when flooding left 28,889 customers (100% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 16 hr 12 min of power per year, less than the North Carolina average of 26 hr 3 min. That ranks 58th of 100 North Carolina counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
September is the riskiest month: it accounted for 78% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 62 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in Columbus County has fallen recently: about 4 hr 43 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 27 hr 42 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Dec 19, 2025) affected 281 customers (1.2%) amid severe thunderstorms.
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 13–24, 2018 | 28,889(100%) | 12 | Flooding |
| 2 | Oct 8–22, 2016 | 28,403(100%) | 15 | Flooding |
| 3 | Sep 30 – Oct 2, 2022 | 10,697(47%) | 3 | Hurricane Ian |
| 4 | Apr 13–14, 2020 | 8,768(38.6%) | 2 | Tornadoes |
| 5 | Dec 23–26, 2022 | 8,574(37.7%) | 4 | Winter Storm Elliott |
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 Columbus County?
Electric companies with service territory in Columbus County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (NC) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Progress | Investor Owned | 1,679,755 | Not reporting | |
| Brunswick Electric (BEMC) | Cooperative | 118,326 | Not reporting | |
| Four County Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 35,959 | 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 Columbus County outage headlines in the past week.
Nearby counties
Columbus County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in Columbus County right now?
No outages are currently reported for Columbus 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 Columbus County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Brunswick Electric Member Corp, Four County Elec Member Corp provide electric service in Columbus County, North Carolina.
What was the worst power outage in Columbus County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Sep 13–24, 2018. It peaked at 28,889 customers without power (100% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to flooding.
How often does the power go out in Columbus County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 245 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 16 hr 12 min of power per year, and on 62 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. "Columbus County, NC Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/north-carolina/columbus-county