Alabama Power restoration complete following severe storms
Alabama Power and assisting crews had power restored in less than 24 hours after storms and tornadoes swept through the state on St. Patrick's Day. (Chris Cannon / Alabama NewsCenter)
Alabama Power has completed restoration operations following this week’s onslaught of severe weather.
By midnight Thursday, the company had restored power to all customers who could take service – less than 24 hours after the storms exited the state.
More than 61,000 customers were affected by the severe weather.
The brunt of the severe weather moved through the state on St. Patrick’s Day and included multiple tornadoes, pummeling wind and rain. Preliminary data from the National Weather Service indicates 18 tornadoes touched down in the state Wednesday, including an EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 130 mph in Chilton County, an EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds in Hale County and another EF-1 with 90 mph winds in Tuscaloosa County.
Alabama Power restores service following 2021 St. Patrick’s Day severe weather from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
The storms tore through a wide swath of the state. Areas in Alabama Power’s service territory with the most significant damage included Blount, Chilton, Dallas, Montgomery, Jefferson, Shelby and Tuscaloosa counties.
Alabama Power crews were prepared for the weather and moved quickly, as soon as it was safe, on Wednesday and Thursday to restore service.
Additionally, the company’s investment in grid technology has led to enhanced reliability and response times for customers.
In all, there were more than 200 reports of severe weather and 30 reports of tornadoes across the South as multiple lines of storms scoured the region, from Texas to the Carolinas and into Virginia.
Alabama Power encourages its customers to always be prepared for the possibility of severe weather, especially during seasons with higher risk, including spring and the upcoming hurricane season. To learn more about putting together a severe weather plan, what to do before severe storms and how to be safe during and after the storm, visit the Alabama Power Storm Center.
Alabama Power customers are also encouraged to sign up for Outage Alerts to receive real-time updates on outages and restoration efforts. Text ‘Enroll’ to 272688 or visit AlabamaPower.com/Alerts to sign up.
Customers who are experiencing an outage also can report it online at AlabamaPower.com/Alerts. They can also call the company’s automated reporting system at 1-800-888-APCO (2726).
