McDowell County, NC Power Outages
Only some utilities serving McDowell 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 Duke Energy Progress - (NC) do not share live data, so check their outage maps for real-time status.
McDowell 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.
McDowell County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in McDowell County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 353 significant power outages in McDowell County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Sep 24 – Oct 17, 2024) came when flooding left 43,021 customers (100% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 56 hr 16 min of power per year, more than the North Carolina average of 26 hr 3 min. That ranks 20th of 100 North Carolina counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
October is the riskiest month: it accounted for 47% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 179 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in McDowell County has risen recently: about 99 hr 43 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 12 hr 48 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Nov 27, 2025) affected 302 customers (2.4%).
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 24 – Oct 17, 2024 | 43,021(100%) | 24 | Flooding |
| 2 | Aug 12–20, 2021 | 14,647(100%) | 9 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 3 | Dec 22, 2021 | 3,884(31.2%) | 1 | No major storm reported |
| 4 | Feb 2–4, 2021 | 3,872(31.1%) | 3 | Winter storm |
| 5 | Oct 14, 2015 | 3,751(30.1%) | 1 | No major storm reported |
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 McDowell County?
Electric companies with service territory in McDowell County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (NC) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas | Investor Owned | 2,274,896 | Not reporting | |
| Duke Energy Progress | Investor Owned | 1,679,755 | Not reporting | |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 78,498 | Reporting | |
| French Broad Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 41,010 | 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 McDowell County outage headlines in the past week.
Nearby counties
McDowell County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in McDowell County right now?
No outages are currently reported for McDowell 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 McDowell County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress - (NC), Rutherford Elec Member Corp, French Broad Elec Member Corp provide electric service in McDowell County, North Carolina.
What was the worst power outage in McDowell County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Sep 24 – Oct 17, 2024. It peaked at 43,021 customers without power (100% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to flooding.
How often does the power go out in McDowell County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 353 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 56 hr 16 min of power per year, and on 179 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. "McDowell County, NC Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/north-carolina/mcdowell-county