Power Outage in Charleston, SC

Did you lose power?

How to Report Power Outage

Power outage in Charleston, South Carolina? Contact your local utility company.

Dominion Energy
Report an Outage
(888) 333-4465 Report Online
View Outage Map
Outage Map
Berkeley Electric Cooperative
Report an Outage
(888) 253-4232 Report Online
View Outage Map
Outage Map

Charleston Power Outages Caused by Weather

Events

September 29, 2022 - Tropical Storm

Charleston County Emergency Management reported numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down. Some of the downed trees blocked roadways and produced power outages. Falling trees damaged homes, structures, and vehicles in McClellanville, downtown Charleston, James Island, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston. Also, heavy rainfall produced minor flooding that closed roads in downtown Charleston, North Charleston, and in West Ashley where both lands of Interstate 526 were flooded at the merge from Paul Cantrell Boulevard. The interstate was still barely passable in the far left lane.

-
July 23, 2022 - Thunderstorm Wind

Charleston County dispatch reported a tree fell across a power line near the intersection of Church Creek Drive and Mona Avenue.

Pierpont - Pierpont
January 3, 2022 - High Wind

Charleston Police Department reported that traffic lights were out at several intersections across the city due to blown transformers caused by strong wind gusts. Wind damage occurred in numerous locations across the county, including a tree down on a mobile home in the Ravenel area. A social media post showed pictures of the steeple blown off Cooper River Baptist Church. A tree was reported down near the intersection of Prominent Way and Park Avenue Boulevard. Another tree was down in a driveway in the Shadowmoss subdivision. A telephone pole was broken and blown into other power lines, with reports of power outages at Folly Beach. Two boats were flipped into the water with some beach erosion near Dewees Inlet. Finally, scaffolding on an apartment building was blown down by strong winds in Downtown Charleston. The strongest winds measured in and around Charleston County included 62 mph at the Charleston International Airport (KCHS), 58 mph at the Weatherflow site at Folly Beach County Park, 63 mph at the Weatherflow site at Fort Sumter, and 60 mph at the Weatherflow site at Shutes Folly.

-
July 7, 2021 - Tropical Storm

Multiple trees and powerlines were reported down across Charleston County from multiple sources. A tree was reported down on a fence and a house on Martin Street in Ravenel. Another tree was reported down on Mitchell Road near Adams Run. Large tree branches were reported down and blocking Wappoo Drive at Hinson Avenue on James Island. Another large tree limb was snapped off in front of a home in Wagener Terrace. A tree was also reported down in the Grimball Gates neighborhood. An off duty National Weather Service employee reported a tree down on Ponderosa Drive in the West Ashley area. Also, some minor beach erosion was reported on Folly Beach.

-
November 12, 2020 - Strong Wind

Ben Sawyer Boulevard at Center Street was closed in both directions due to downed power lines. The Ben Sawyer Bridge to and from Sullivan's Island was closed. The period of the road closure was from 7:30 pm until 10:00 pm.

-

Episodes

April 30, 2023

A cold front associated with low pressure tracking across the region and offshore led to gusty winds capable of downing trees and power lines across southeast South Carolina.

October 11, 2018

Michael first developed into a tropical depression early on October, 7th approximately 90 miles east of Chetumal, Mexico before gradually strengthening to a tropical storm by the afternoon while tracking north off the Yucatan Peninsula coast. Michael then continued to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane while tracking north just off the western Cuba coast on October, 8th before gaining latitude and rapidly intensifying to a high-end Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf Of Mexico on October 9th. The major hurricane continued to track north, then north-northeast early on October 10th, strengthening to a high-end Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 155 mph and a minimum central pressure of 919 mb while making landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida at 2 PM EDT. Michael then weakened while moving inland, but maintained hurricane strength for approximately 10 hours while heading northeast over the Florida Peninsula and south central Georgia. Michael then maintained tropical storm strength October 11th, tracking northeast over central Georgia and the central Carolinas, before eventually shifting off the southern Virginia coast and transitioning into an extratropical cyclone over the Western Atlantic on October 12th. Minimum surface pressures of 999.3 mb at Savannah International Airport (KSAV), 1000.3 mb at Charleston International Airport (KCHS), 995.6 mb at Statesboro, GA (KTBR) and 994.2 mb at Allendale County Airport, SC were recorded as the center of Michael passed inland.||Across southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina, the main impacts from Michael included wind damage in the form of isolated to scattered trees and power lines blown down, heavy rainfall and minor levels of storm surge. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities across the area.||Storm total rainfall amounts generally ranged from 1.0 to 3.5 inches across the area. A peak storm total rainfall of 3.65 inches was recorded at Jamestown, SC while a peak storm total rainfall of 3.56 inches was recorded at Fort Stewart, GA. Heavy rains also led the Santee River at Jamestown, SC to reach minor flood stage on October 12th.||Wind damage, mainly in the form of downed trees, produced numerous power outages and damage to a few homes as well as automobiles. On October 11th, a maximum sustained wind of 43 mph occurred at the Folly Beach Pier in South Carolina and at Tybee Island South in Georgia. A maximum sustained wind of 42 kt also occurred at Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor. A maximum wind gust of 57 mph occurred at Isle of Palms and the Folly Beach Pier in South Carolina and at Tybee Island South in Georgia. A maximum wind gust of 53 kt also occurred at the Capers Nearshore Buoy in nearshore waters.||Storm Surge was minor along the beaches, but isolated damage was reported to a dock along the Charleston County coast. A peak surge of 2.29 ft occurred at the Fort Pulaski tide gauge at 154 AM October 11th while a peak surge of 2.07 ft occurred at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge at 212 AM October 11th.

September 11, 2017

Irma first developed into a tropical storm on August 30th about 420 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, and within 24 hours strengthened into a hurricane. Irma continued to intensify and became a major hurricane over the eastern Atlantic on September 1st. After undergoing a brief period of weakening on September 2nd, Irma once again strengthened into a major hurricane on September 3rd and maintained major hurricane status through September 10th when it made landfall on the southwest Florida coast. During this extended period as a major hurricane, Irma set numerous intensity records for a hurricane in the Atlantic basin. Maximum sustained winds reached 185 mph, making Irma the strongest storm on record to exist in the Atlantic Ocean outside of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Also, Irma���s 185 mph maximum sustained winds are tied for the second strongest maximum winds all time in an Atlantic hurricane. The minimum central pressure reached during Irma���s life cycle was 914 mb which is the lowest pressure on record by an Atlantic hurricane outside of the western Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, Irma maintained Category 5 status for 3 consecutive days which is the longest on record for an Atlantic hurricane. Irma stayed on a general westward track through September 5th when it began a gradual turn to the west-northwest. On this west-northwestward track, Irma eventually skirted along the north coast of Cuba on September 9th before turning northward toward Florida on September 10th. Irma officially made landfall at Marco Island, FL at 3:35 pm September 10 as a Category 3 hurricane. Following landfall, Irma tracked to the north-northwest and eventually the northwest as it progressed up the western side of the Florida peninsula. Irma steadily weakened during this time and was downgraded to a tropical storm near the big bend of Florida at 8:00 am on September 11th. Through the rest of September 11th, Irma tracked to the northwest into southern Georgia and widespread impacts occurred across the Southeast.||Despite the fact that the center of Irma tracked well to the west of the southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina region, it still caused significant impacts due to heavy rainfall, strong winds, tornadoes, and storm surge. Feeder bands around Irma continuously moved onshore on September 11th and produced very heavy rainfall rates with rainfall totals generally ranging from 3 to 9 inches. The peak storm total rainfall of 9.07��� was recorded by a CoCoRaHS observer near Beaufort, SC. Daily record rainfall totals for September 11th were recorded at all 3 climate sites in the area: 5.51��� at the Charleston International Airport (KCHS), 4.53��� at Downtown Charleston (KCXM), and 4.74��� at the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV). This widespread heavy rain resulted in several reports of flash flooding with water entering homes and businesses. Wind damage produced numerous power outages across the region with some damage to structures and numerous downed trees. The strongest winds were confined to coastal locations, but frequent gusts into the 40-50 mph range occurred well inland. The maximum sustained wind recorded was 59 mph by the Weatherflow site on the Folly Beach Pier (XFOL) and the maximum wind gust recorded was 76 mph by the Weatherflow site near Beaufort (XBUF). One fatality and 1 injury occurred from trees falling on homes and across roadways in southeast South Carolina. The entire southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina coast was impacted by storm surge generally ranging from 3 to 6 feet. This storm surge produced numerous reports of 4 to 6 feet of inundation above ground level, mainly along the southeast South Carolina coast. A peak surge of 4.87 feet occurred at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge at 2:00 pm while a peak surge of 5.63 feet occurred at the Fort Pulaski tide gauge at 5:42 am. Significant beach erosion occurred at area beaches with widespread damage to docks and piers all along the coast, as well as numerous reports of inundated roadways.

October 7, 2016

Matthew first developed into a Tropical Storm about 35 miles southeast of St. Lucia on September 28 before quickly strengthening into a powerful hurricane as it tracked westward across the Caribbean Sea. Matthew then became a hurricane about 190 miles northeast of Curacao on September 29th before reaching Category 5 strength the following day. Matthew then weakened slightly while turning north toward the Greater Antilles, remaining a Category 4 hurricane as it made landfall over Haiti���s Tiburon Peninsula early on October 4th. Matthew then continued north while maintaining a Category 4 strength before making a second landfall near the Guantanamo Province in Cuba later that day. Land interaction helped reduce the strength of Matthew to a Category 3 hurricane, before it re-intensified into a Category 4 hurricane while tracking northwest toward the Bahamas. Matthew then tracked about 25 miles west of Nassau before making landfall for a 3rd time over Grand Bahama about 15 miles west-northwest of Freeport as a Category 4 hurricane on October 6th. Matthew then continued on a north-northwest track toward Florida before paralleling much of the Southeast coast in a slowly weakening state over the next couple days. Matthew tracked parallel to the northern half of the Southeast Georgia coast as a Category 2 hurricane (110 mph), before continuing to weaken to a Category 1 hurricane (85 mph) while passing much of the lower Southeast South Carolina coast. Minimum surface pressures of 983.1 mb at Savannah International Airport (KSAV), 980.6 mb at Beaufort Airport (KNBC) and 981.7 mb at Charleston International Airport (KCHS) where recorded as Matthew passed just offshore. Matthew then made its 4th and final landfall as a weak Category 1 hurricane (75 mph) near McClellanville, SC at approximately 1045 AM on October 8th. Matthew then re-emerged into the western Atlantic shortly after, briefly maintaining hurricane strength before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on October 9th as it pulled away from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. ||Across southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina, the main impacts from Matthew included heavy rain, wind damage in the form of scattered to widespread trees and power lines blown down and storm surge, specifically along coastal locations from Tybee Island, GA north to Edisto Beach, SC. Storm total rainfall amounts generally ranged from 4.5 to 7 inches across western areas of Southeast Georgia and extreme western locations of Southeast South Carolina to 8 to 17 inches closer to the coast, highest in coastal counties of Southeast Georgia and the lower Southeast South Carolina coast. A peak storm total rainfall of 17.49 inches was recorded at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia while a peak storm total rainfall of 16.90 inches was recorded near Edisto Island, SC. Daily record rainfall totals of were also set on October 7th and October 8th at the Savannah International Airport (KSAV), 4.36 inches and 3.84 inches, at the Charleston International Airport (KCHS), 4.7 inches and 5.77 inches and in downtown Charleston (KCXM), 4.36 inches and 3.84 inches respectively. Heavy rains also led to several instances of flash flooding with damage to roads and homes and helped produce long duration flooding along the Edisto River, Ashley River and Santee River. Wind damage produced numerous to widespread power outages and damage to homes and other structures throughout the area, most significantly at locations near the coast where 60 mph to 100 mph wind gusts occurred with rainbands surrounding the passing eye wall. On October 8th, a maximum sustained wind of 75 mph and peak wind gust of 96 mph was recorded at the Tybee Island South sensor (XTYE) in Georgia while a maximum sustained wind of 67 mph was recorded at the Beaufort (XBUF) sensor in South Carolina and peak wind gust of 87 mph was recorded at the Hilton Head Airport (KHXD) sensor in South Carolina. Three deaths and 1 injury occurred from trees falling on homes or cars in Southeast Georgia. The most extensive damage came with storm surge during Matthew. The entire Southeast Georgia and Southeast South Carolina coast was impacted by storm surge generally ranging between 2 to 5 ft with some locations as high as 6 to 8 ft. A peak surge of 7.69 ft occurred at the Fort Pulaski tide gauge at 248 AM October 8th while a peak surge of 6.20 ft occurred at the Charleston Harbor tide gauge at 5 AM October 8th. Damage from surge was most notable on the northern ends of Tybee Island in Georgia, Fripp Island in South Carolina and Edisto Island in South Carolina. Locations on Fripp Island and Edisto Island saw some of the most significant beach erosion and damage to oceanfront homes in the entire area.

February 12, 2014

An area of low pressure tracked from the Gulf of Mexico to off the southeast coast, producing widespread precipitation across southeast South Carolina. A wedge of high pressure provided shallow, cold air, supporting the development of freezing rain at many locations away from the immediate coast. Across many inland areas, a major ice storm occurred with one to three quarters of an inch of ice accumulation and even a few one inch accumulation amounts reported. Widespread trees, large tree limbs, and power lines were reported down due to ice. Many trees were down and blocking area roadways including Interstate 95 and Interstate 26. Widespread, long duration power outages also occurred especially across inland areas. Numerous bridges around the region were closed due to ice accumulation, adding to hazardous travel conditions.

News

Dominion Energy says they’re fully prepared for potential impacts of Nicole | WCBD News 2 Open Navigation Close Navigation

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Dominion Energy says they have crews in place across the state who are ready to respond to whatever Nicole brings to the Lowcountry.  The power company is preparing for downed trees, power outages and other inconveniences that may result from Nicole. “Crewmembers,” Dominion Energy of South Carolina spokesman Paul Fischer said, […]

Nov 11, 2022

Preparing for Tropical Cyclone Nicole in Charleston, SC

From live updates to re-upping your hurricane kit, keep reading for how you can prepare for this storm.

Nov 9, 2022

Board approves pursuit of psych bed certificates of need in Charleston and Pee Dee, supports new building connector | MUSC | Charleston, SC

MUSC board approves pursuit of psych bed certificates of need in Charleston and Pee Dee.

Oct 14, 2022

Power out after car struck utility pole along Savannah Highway | WCBD News 2 Open Navigation Close Navigation

WEST ASHLEY, S.C. (WCBD) – Crews are responding to a collision with caused damage to a utility pole along US 17/Savannah Highway on Monday afternoon. A vehicle struck the pole outside of Bessinger’s Bar-B-Q around 3:00 p.m. Crews are routing traffic around the crash. They have one lane open in both directions along Savannah Highway […]

Oct 10, 2022

FPL says grid prep paid off in swift post-Ian power revival - E&E News

More than 600,000 customers of various Florida power providers still lacked electricity Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

Oct 3, 2022

Grand Strand cleaning up after Ian, power mostly restored across region | WBTW Open Navigation Close Navigation

Crews are beginning cleanup along the Grand Strand Saturday morning after Hurricane Ian made landfall Friday near Georgetown as a Category 1 hurricane.

Oct 3, 2022

North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Ian. Live updates on storm

Already, Ian has devastated parts of Florida and left damage in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina as it now moves through central Virginia

Oct 2, 2022

Patriots Point closed due to power outage following severe weather | WCBD News 2 Open Navigation Close Navigation

UPDATE: Officials say power at the USS Yorktown has been restored. The Patriots Point museum and recreational areas will resume normal business hours on Sunday. — MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – The museum at Patriots Point is closed Saturday due to a power outage following Hurricane Ian. Business across the lowcountry are without power Saturday […]

Oct 1, 2022

Power in parts of Florida could be out for more than a week as flooding lingers in Ian's wake | CNN Close icon

It could be more than a week until power lines are fully restored in some parts of Florida as residents deal with major flooding after the deadly Hurricane Ian, expected to be the most expensive storm in the Sunshine State's history.

Oct 1, 2022

User Comments…

Are you affected? Leave your comment below.

Power outage started at approximately 7:30 AM and recording at Coles Moultrie states it is a supply issue and crews are addressing.

Jeff | May 09, 2021  

Sissonville wv

Pamela Dunford | November 03, 2020  

My power is out and has been since Tuesday evening Aug. 25, 2020 70 Newberry Lane Sissonville, WV

Patsy Sisson | August 26, 2020  

Our power is also out at 209 Church St. Charleston.

Carolyn Harrison | August 06, 2020  

The power cut off on my property at 1717 Douglas St. Charleston, IL. about 10 minutes ago.

Bruce Weaver | October 20, 2018  

By posting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions of Service.

Related Tweets

Tweets from Charleston, South Carolina

Power Outage FAQs

What is Power Outage?

Power outage (also called a power cut, a power blackout, power failure or a blackout) is a short-term or a long-term loss of the electric power to a particular area.

What Causes Power Outages?

  • Severe weather (high winds, lightning, winter storms, heat waves, rain or flooding can cause damage to power lines or equipment);
  • Other damage to electric transmission lines (vehicle accidents, trees, and animals can cause damage to power lines or equipment);
  • Repairing, maintenance or upgrades on power lines and equipment.

What are the Top Outage Safety Tips?

  • Stay away from the downed power lines, park vehicles in protected areas;
  • Unplug appliances and electronics, limit cell phone use to conserve battery life;
  • Use portable generators outdoors only, well away from open windows and doors;
  • Pack perishable foods into a cooler, keep refrigerator and freezer doors shut as much as possible.

Related Cities

Report power outage in other South Carolina cities.

Charleston, South Carolina

City Charleston
County Charleston
State South Carolina (SC)
Country United States
Zip Codes 29401, 29402, 29403, 29406, 29407, 29409, 29412, 29413, 29414, 29416

Charleston Map