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Kentucky Power Thunderstorm Update
Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 1:30 p.m.
Weather
A fast-moving rain and windstorm made its way through Kentucky Power’s northeast territory this morning. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts up to 102 mph were reported at the Huntington airport. More than 12,000 customers are out of power and storm damage is significant.
The forecast for the rest of the day includes a lull in the weather until another round (or more) of severe weather arrives with the batch of storms coming up from the Tennessee Valley. Numerous severe storms are likely to impact Kentucky Power’s northeastern service area with the risk of scattered-numerous 60-75+ mph gusts, large hail and potential for tornadoes.
The storms will weaken tonight with a cold front that will sweep through the area bringing with it rain and snow showers and wind gusts 30-35 mph at times tomorrow and Thursday. This weather and the wind speeds could hinder restoration efforts in some areas due to limitations imposed on bucket truck usage in high winds.
Summary
Currently, there more than 12,425 customers without power, with the majority in Boyd, Greenup and Lawrence counties. Crews responded immediately to assess damage and are working to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. In the early hours of assessment, crews are reporting broken poles and crossarms, downed power lines and at least one sub-station outage.
With weather expected to worsen again this evening along with the damage from this morning, restoration will likely be a multi-day effort. Crews from the southern part of our territory are joining local crews to assist in restoration efforts.
For more information
- Customers can get specific information about the outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email by subscribing to Kentucky Power outage alerts. To sign up, visit www.KentuckyPower.com/Alerts.
- Customers can report outages and check out the latest restoration information for their account anytime by downloading the app,www.KentuckyPower.com/App.
- Customers can also report outages to our Customer Operations Center at 1-800-572-1113.
- Storm and restoration information also is posted on Facebook and on X (@KentuckyPower).
Safety Messages
- Stay away from all downed power lines! Downed lines can carry an electric current that can cause serious or even fatal injuries. If you encounter a fallen wire, keep yourself and others away from it and anything it may be touching. Call 911 and Kentucky Power immediately at 1-800-572-1113 to report.
- Fallen trees are likely to occur. Be aware of the potential for trees and overhanging limbs to fall without warning. The previous rains have made the ground soggy which means trees can fall more easily, especially with the strong winds expected.
- Additional safety tips are posted at www.KentuckyPower.com/Safety.
Next update: Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
