The United States experienced at least one major power outage every month of 2026, most of which were worse than Pakistan’s usual electricity outages due to load shedding.
The US repeatedly faced widespread outages caused by extreme weather, with hundreds of thousands to more than a million customers losing power in several major events. In many cases, restoration took days rather than the few hours that characterize Pakistan’s routine load shedding.
Here is a brief breakdown of each month’s outages in the US.
The year began with a powerful winter storm in January that brought heavy snow, freezing rain, and ice across large parts of the US. More than 296,000 customers remained without electricity after the storm, while some utilities warned that full restoration could take several days because of extensive damage to power lines and infrastructure.
In February, another winter storm swept across the northeastern United States, leaving more than 380,000 customers without electricity as snow, ice, and freezing temperatures damaged the power network and disrupted normal operations. Emergency measures were also introduced in several regions to help maintain grid reliability during the prolonged cold spell.
March brought another major disruption as severe thunderstorms and powerful winds cut power to more than one million customers across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Ohio was among the hardest-hit states, with widespread damage to trees, transmission lines, and local electricity infrastructure requiring extensive repair work.
In April, at least 29 tornadoes touched down across central Illinois in a single outbreak. The tornadoes, along with destructive straight-line winds, knocked down thousands of trees and power lines, causing widespread outages across the region. Many affected communities remained without electricity overnight or longer while utility crews repaired damaged infrastructure.
Extreme heat became the biggest challenge in May. As soaring temperatures increased electricity demand and reduced available generation capacity, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order allowing backup generation resources to be deployed across the Mid-Atlantic to reduce the risk of blackouts and stabilize the power grid.
The trend continued in June, when another round of severe storms and extreme weather left more than 373,000 customers without power across multiple states. Pennsylvania and Michigan were among the worst affected, with utility companies working around the clock to restore service after high winds and storms damaged electricity infrastructure.
Source: Electrek
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