Alabama Power restores service after violent winter storm; more bad weather possible on Friday
Alabama Power crews work to restore power in Alabama's Wiregrass region after this week's severe storms. (Alabama Power)
Another chance for severe storms and then, … frigid temperatures.
A fast-moving winter storm tore through Alabama on Monday night and early Tuesday, with raging winds that toppled trees onto power lines and heavy rains that flooded roadways from Mobile to Montgomery to Birmingham and beyond.
At least three deaths were reported in Alabama related to Winter Storm Finn, which also has been socking the Midwest with snow.
In Alabama, the storm brought damaging straight-line winds with gusts of over 70 mph. Along with the winds came thunderstorms and heavy downpours that dumped as much as 6 inches of rain in some areas.
The most severe weather pummeled south Alabama and the Wiregrass region, felling numerous trees and tree limbs that hit power lines, causing widespread disruptions in electric service.
High winds toppled trees and snapped power lines across the state. (Alabama Power)
About 200,000 Alabama Power customers experienced outages as the storm raced across the state.
Alabama Power crews immediately went to work Monday night, wherever it was safe, to restore power as quickly as possible. In less than 24 hours, crews had restored power to all but about 10,000 customers who suffered more severe damage in their neighborhoods, such as replacing splintered poles and multiple spans of wire, requiring more resources and equipment. Advances in “self-healing” grid technology, that allow some outages to be addressed automatically without dispatching crews, also helped speed restoration for many customers.
As of 8:30 a.m. today, power had been restored to all but 700 customers.
The storm, which also carried strong winds on the back side, continued moving east on Tuesday. More than a dozen tornadoes had been reported by Tuesday night in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Additional fatalities were recorded in Georgia and North Carolina.
Close to 900,00 homes and businesses were without power Tuesday night along the East Coast because of the severe storms, authorities reported.
Alabama Power crews went to work quickly to restore power after this week’s storms. (Alabama Power)
Forecasters say another round of severe weather, with strong storms and wind, is possible for Alabama on Friday. After that, much colder weather is expected early next week, with temperatures potentially dropping into the teens over several days in some north Alabama locations.
With the ground already saturated from the recent rains, the storms predicted for Friday could lead to more trees coming down and electric service disruptions. Alabama Power customers should keep a close watch on the weather and be prepared if severe weather strikes.
For information about how to be ready when severe weather threatens, and what to do after the storm, visit the Alabama Power Storm Center. There, customers can also learn about signing up for Outage Alerts, the best ways to report an outage and how to view the company’s online Outage Map.
