What You Need to Know
- Broken to solid lines of severe storms are likely to develop today, bringing scattered wind gusts of 60-70 mph to much of AEP Ohio's service territory.
- A few tornadoes and an ongoing risk of flash flooding will accompany these thunderstorms as they travel over the same areas that have already experienced severe weather and power outages this week.
- Another round of organized severe storms is possible Thursday afternoon and evening.
- About 3,700 lineworkers, assessors, contractors, support personnel and forestry crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to restore power for about 77,000 customers still out. We've restored power to more than 135,000 customers since the peak.
- Follow your local forecast for the latest updates on weather conditions and timing.
- AEP Ohio makes outage information easy to find: Report an outage, sign up for alerts or view our outage map at AEPOhio.com/Outages.
Always stay as far as possible from all downed lines and anything they may be touching. Report safety hazards to 911 or AEP Ohio at 800-672-2231.
OVERVIEW
About 77,000 customers remain without power this afternoon as severe weather threatens our service territory for the third day in a row. Severe storms, possibly with a few tornadoes and continued risk of flash flooding, are expected today across the same areas of the state already impacted by storms and outages this week. Another round of storms may follow a similar path tomorrow afternoon and evening.
Crews have restored power to more than 135,000 customers since the peak of the outages. Additional mutual aid crews are arriving today, bringing the total number of those working on storm restoration to more than 3,700. These fresh crews, plus our own personnel, will focus on assessing damage and restoring power in Columbus and southern/southeastern Ohio. No matter what part of the state they're in, our teams won't stop working until everyone's power is back on.
Updated restoration times will be shared on AEPOhio.com/OutageMap.
TODAY'S WEATHER MAP
THURSDAY'S WEATHER MAP
| Areas |
Weather Event |
Probability |
Time |
| Western Ohio |
Broken lines of severe storms likely
(solid lines possible) |
70% |
2-7 p.m.
This afternoon - evening |
| Central and eastern Ohio |
Broken lines of severe storms likely |
60% |
3-9 p.m.
This afternoon - evening |
| Southern and southeastern Ohio |
Broken lines of severe storms likely |
60% |
4-10 p.m.
This afternoon - evening |
ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES BY AREA
Central Ohio
- Southwest Columbus: Noon Aug. 13
- Northeast, Northwest and Southeast Columbus: Noon Aug. 14
Southeastern Ohio
- Athens: Noon Aug. 13
- Crooksville: 1 p.m. Aug. 14
- Lancaster: Noon Aug. 13
- Pomeroy: 3 p.m. today
Southern Ohio
- Chillicothe: 7 p.m. today
- Lucasville: Midnight tonight
- Seaman: Noon Aug. 14
- South Point: 5 p.m. today
- Wellston: 6 p.m. today
Eastern Ohio
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN MY OUTAGE STATUS SAYS ‘ASSESSING’?
Teams work around the clock to finish assessing damage so they can get everyone back in power. There are two main steps to assessment. The first step involves taking a quick inventory of the damage, which was extensive in this storm with wind gusts of more than 80 miles per hour. Crews head out and drive along roadways to get a quick understanding of the damage, while also looking for any potential safety hazards. They’re evaluating things like:
- Are there a lot of downed power lines and poles?
- Are there any downed power lines across the roadways?
- What are we going to need to get the power restored?
The second step is the detailed damage assessment. Two-person teams patrol the lines to conduct in-depth inspections while noting specific inventory needs along the way, taking into consideration:
- How many broken poles are there?
- How much wire is down?
- What other type of electrical equipment has been damaged?
- What special equipment do we need to bring in to make repairs?
- How many crew members do we need to restore power?
- Do we need to bring in resources from other areas?
This detailed assessment takes time, especially in more rural areas where terrain may make it more difficult to reach and repair damaged equipment. This is why you may see a status of “assessing” for quite some time. Once we know what each job will entail to get the lights back on, we use that information to provide an estimated time of restoration, or ETR.
WHAT CUSTOMERS NEED TO KNOW
Cleaning up after the storm
For your own safety, never remove fallen tree limbs or debris within 10 feet of a power line. Always investigate your surroundings before trying to clean up any debris because limbs, leaves and other objects moved by the wind could hide downed wires. Call 911 or AEP Ohio at 800-672-2231 to report any safety hazards.
Your crews left tree debris in my yard. Who is responsible for removing it?
Following a storm, our forestry crews have one goal: to clear the way for our lineworkers to safely restore power for all customers as quickly as possible. In storm situations, it’s the customer’s responsibility to clean up any tree debris.
OUTAGE SAFETY REMINDERS
- Never use lanterns, heaters or fuel-fired stoves without proper ventilation.
- Unplug major appliances to protect them when power is restored.
- Refuel lamps and generators outside and away from flames and sparks. Wipe up spilled fuel immediately.
STAY CONNECTED
NEXT UPDATE
Updates will be provided at AEPOhio.com and through other communication channels as needed.
We strongly encourage customers with medical issues and life-supporting equipment to have a backup power source and an alternate plan in case of an outage. Our crews will continue to work safely and as quickly as possible until everyone’s power is restored.