The Largest U.S. Power Outages Since 2014
Data: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 & Electric Power Annual. 51 jurisdictions ranked. Methodology on our data page.
The largest U.S. power outage since 2014 came with Hurricane Irma (Sep 10–18, 2017), when as many as 10,938,822 customers were without power at the same time, mostly in Florida and Georgia. It is followed by Winter Storm Uri (Feb 13–19, 2021, 5,124,660) and Hurricane Helene (Sep 27 – Oct 5, 2024, 4,891,102). Of the 20 largest events, 10 were hurricanes or tropical storms and 3 were winter storms or extreme cold. Source: DOE EAGLE-I outage records joined with NOAA storm reports.
The 20 largest U.S. power outage events since 2014
Ranked by the peak number of customers without power at the same time, nationwide
| # | When | Peak out at once | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) | Hardest-hit states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 10–18, 2017 | 10,938,822 | 9 | Hurricane Irma | FL, GA, SC, NC |
| 2 | Feb 13–19, 2021 | 5,124,660 | 7 | Winter Storm Uri | TX, OR, OK, LA |
| 3 | Sep 27 – Oct 5, 2024 | 4,891,102 | 9 | Hurricane Helene | SC, FL, GA, NC |
| 4 | Aug 4–15, 2020 | 3,823,727 | 12 | Hurricane Isaias | NJ, NY, CT, PA |
| 5 | Jan 8–10, 2025 | 3,575,598 | 3 | High winds | CA, CO, VA, IN |
| 6 | Oct 9–14, 2024 | 3,504,436 | 6 | Hurricane Milton | FL, NC, GA, CA |
| 7 | Sep 18 – Oct 5, 2022 | 2,983,580 | 18 | Hurricane Ian | FL, GA, TX, CA |
| 8 | Oct 26 – Nov 2, 2020 | 2,977,626 | 8 | Hurricane Zeta | GA, LA, AL, NC |
| 9 | Jul 8–17, 2024 | 2,863,744 | 10 | Hurricane Beryl | TX, TN, LA, GA |
| 10 | Mar 2–9, 2018 | 2,760,628 | 8 | Winter storm | PA, VA, MA, NY |
| 11 | Oct 7–11, 2016 | 2,177,348 | 5 | Hurricane Matthew | NC, SC, FL, VA |
| 12 | Dec 23–24, 2022 | 1,793,688 | 2 | Winter Storm Elliott | NC, TN, ME, NH |
| 13 | Oct 11–14, 2018 | 1,572,487 | 4 | Hurricane Michael | NC, VA, FL, GA |
| 14 | Mar 3–5, 2023 | 1,555,115 | 3 | High winds | KY, MI, TN, OH |
| 15 | Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2017 | 1,547,514 | 3 | High winds | ME, MA, NH, CT |
| 16 | Dec 31, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025 | 1,547,320 | 2 | No major storm reported | GA, WV, MS, PA |
| 17 | Apr 13–14, 2020 | 1,406,835 | 2 | Severe thunderstorms | NC, SC, GA, AL |
| 18 | Aug 29 – Sep 8, 2021 | 1,362,297 | 11 | Hurricane Ida | LA, MS, CA, VA |
| 19 | Oct 27–28, 2021 | 1,275,061 | 2 | High winds | MA, RI, TX, LA |
| 20 | Jul 10, 2018 | 1,258,603 | 1 | Severe thunderstorms | NY, AZ, CA, TX |
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.
Outage time by year
Total customer-hours without power recorded each year (millions)
What stands out
- Hurricanes dominate the top of the list. Tropical systems knock out power to millions at once because they combine extreme wind, falling trees and flooding across whole regions. Longer events such as Hurricane Irma can keep customers in the dark for a week or more.
- Winter storms are the other big driver. Ice and extreme cold, as in Texas in February 2021, cause outages both from damage and from the grid running short of supply. See rolling blackouts explained.
- None of the largest events came from a cyberattack. Weather accounts for the biggest outages on record. Read the evidence in Could a cyberattack take down the U.S. power grid?
About these numbers
EAGLE-I records are collected automatically from utility outage maps every 15 minutes. They are the most complete public record of U.S. outages, but totals can differ from official utility or regulator reports. Some utilities count meters rather than customers, and early years (2014–2017) cover fewer utilities. Treat peaks as close estimates, and use them to compare events rather than as exact counts.
More reports
Cite this page
You may reuse our derived data under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Underlying government data is public domain.
PowerOutageTracker.com. "The Largest U.S. Power Outages Since 2014." Accessed EIA 2025 data. https://poweroutagetracker.com/reports/largest-power-outages-since-2014