What’s Happening

Winter Storm Fern affected all 57 counties served by APCo, with a significant impact in Virginia’s Smyth and Washington counties and West Virginia’s Lincoln and Kanawha counties. Thousands of personnel are concentrated in these areas, working to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Power outages peaked at 44,500 as the storm system traveled through APCo’s three-state territory on Sunday. As of late afternoon Tuesday, despite frigid temperatures and hazardous conditions, APCo crews have restored power to nearly 90% of the customers affected by the storm. Currently, 4,300 customers remain without service, including 2,100 in Virginia and 2,200 in West Virginia.

APCo’s Storm Response team expects to restore service to the majority of customers affected by Winter Storm Fern by 11 p.m. tonight, Jan. 27. Cleanup and other activities could go into tomorrow in some areas.

More winter weather is expected later this week, with forecasts predicting that much of the APCo service territory could see snow and continued frigid temperatures.

APCo’s Outage Map lists more than 100 warming centers open to the public across its footprint.

Winter Storm Safety Tips

• Extreme cold can overload lines as power is restored to large numbers of customers. Often, we must restore outages in smaller groups to allow the electric load to settle. Customers can help by turning off large electric appliances (like heaters and water heaters) for at least 15 minutes after power is returned.
• APCo will never demand payment or entry; always ask for company photo ID, refuse unsolicited repairs and verify workers using the phone number on your bill or our website.
• Stay away from downed power lines and anything they may contact, such as tree limbs or fences. Immediately report safety hazards by calling 911 or APCo at 800-956-4237.
• When using a generator, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. Run it outdoors, away from windows and doors, and ensure working carbon monoxide detectors are installed.
• Read more tips at AppalachianPower.com/Safety.

Staying Connected

Enroll in Outage Alerts to get updates on power outages, their ETR and any applicable updates. Follow APCo on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for updates.

Next Update

This is the last update for this storm.