Severe storms left more than 536,000 homes and businesses without power across the U.S. Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South. Pennsylvania was hardest hit, with about 124,999 outages (roughly 1.9% of customers). A Consumers Energy unit in Michigan reported about 92,770 customers affected, and the company said 600 crews were working overnight to restore service. State-by-state totals reported by PowerOutage.us sum to 536,972.
Severe Storms Knock Out Power to More Than 536,000 Across U.S. Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South
Storm clouds near the U.S. Capitol amid a severe weather forecast for the Mid-Atlantic region in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
Severe storms swept across the U.S. Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and parts of the South on Tuesday, leaving more than 536,000 homes and businesses without power, outage-tracking website PowerOutage.us reported.
Outage Snapshot
Pennsylvania was the hardest hit state, with about 124,999 customers affected — roughly 1.9% of the state's 6.8 million utility accounts. Michigan's overall outages totaled 106,712, driven in part by a unit of Consumers Energy reporting roughly 92,770 customers without service.
FILE PHOTO: A home is damaged following storms and tornado warnings in Three Rivers, Michigan, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo
"Six hundred crews are hard at work and will continue through the night to ensure all communities we serve get back online," Consumers Energy said in a post on X.
Major Outages By State
- Pennsylvania: 124,999
- Michigan: 106,712
- Virginia: 84,301
- New Jersey: 61,487
- Maryland: 24,858
- New York: 19,728
- Ohio: 16,228
- North Carolina: 15,064
Total Reported Outages: 536,972
Utility crews worked through the night to restore service, with large-scale response efforts concentrated in the hardest-hit areas. Officials warned that restoration times can vary depending on storm damage, downed lines and local conditions.
Reporting by Anjana Anil and Noel John in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Will Dunham and Sumana Nandy. Data: PowerOutage.us.
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