Power Outages: What Causes Them?
Weather-related events cause 70% of all power outages
More than two-thirds of all power outages in the U.S. are caused by weather-related events including thunderstorms, ice storms, heavy winds, and lightning strikes, as well as other natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes. Animals contacting wires, auto accidents damaging poles or other equipment, and other unknown factors can also cause power outages.

Power outages may vary by season, and can last from minutes to hours, even days depending on the severity of the storm or event. Hundreds of BGE workers, often braving dangerous weather conditions, work to make sure outages last no more that the briefest possible time and restore power to your home or business as quickly as possible. However, if a storm causes severe widespread damage to our system, it can take several days to physically assess the damage and restore power to all customers.

Major Cause of Power Outages in U.S.*

What's the difference between a power outage and a momentary interruption?
There is a fundamental difference between a prolonged outage and a brief, momentary interruption in service. 'Momentaries' are split-second interruptions in service. They are a normal, unavoidable part of power delivery systems that serve an important purpose. For example, when a tree limb falls on a wire, automatic sensing equipment detects a potentially dangerous condition and temporarily breaks the circuit for a split second. This break in the flow of electricity protects essential parts of the electric delivery system from major damage and actually helps prevent outages. Nevertheless, power may be out just long enough to be detected by sensitive electronics like computers, microwaves, and VCRs. That's why you sometimes find clocks blinking when you return after being away from home.