September's Extremes: Snowstorms, Hurricanes, Heatwaves, and Grid Emergencies Leave Hundreds of Thousands Without Power

September 2026 has delivered a startling array of extreme weather across the United States, from a historic early-season snow and ice storm that knocked out power to more than 700,000 customers across the East and South, to Hurricane Lowell's assault on Hawaii, a late-summer heatwave that overwhelmed Los Angeles' grid, and severe winds that downed power lines across the Kansas City metro. Meanwhile, federal regulators issued emergency measures to keep the lights on as demand surged.

East and South: Historic Early-Season Ice Storm Knocks Out Power to 700,000

A winter storm described by experts as one of the most geographically expansive early-season ice and snow events on record struck a vast swath of the eastern and southern United States from September 1 to 3, leaving more than 700,000 homes and businesses without power.

According to PowerOutage.us, Tennessee was the hardest-hit state, with more than 244,000 customers without power. Texas followed with approximately 134,000 outages, while Louisiana reported 119,000. Kentucky saw nearly 40,000 customers lose power, with Georgia and Alabama reporting 15,000 and 10,000 respectively. Virginia (over 9,000), North Carolina (6,500), and West Virginia (over 3,000) also reported significant outages.

The storm stretched from the Midwest and South all the way to the Mid-Atlantic, rendering streets and highways nearly impassable from Texas and Oklahoma to Pennsylvania and New York. Authorities warned that temperatures along the East Coast could approach minus 15°C, potentially worsening ice accumulation and threatening critical infrastructure. More than 20 states activated emergency protocols, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged residents to stay off the roads. The federal government coordinated with states and utility companies on restoration efforts.

Air travel was severely disrupted. According to FlightAware, nearly 4,000 flights were canceled on Saturday, with another 10,000 cancellations reported on Sunday.

Washington D.C. Metro: Severe Thunderstorms Down Trees, Cut Power to Tens of Thousands

Severe thunderstorms swept through the Washington D.C. metropolitan area overnight on September 3-4, felling trees, damaging homes, and causing widespread power outages.

According to Dominion Energy's outage map, more than 47,000 customers in Northern Virginia were without power Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, most outages were concentrated in Fairfax County, where approximately 12,751 customers remained without power. Arlington had about 7,460 customers in the dark. In Washington D.C. and Maryland, Pepco reported approximately 42,511 customers without power, with repair crews addressing about 530 active outages in the early morning hours.

In Pepco's afternoon update, about 13,722 customers remained without power across the region, while Prince George's County had 22,446 customers without power. Prince George's County Public Schools closed entirely due to more than 20 schools losing power.

The storm caused significant physical damage. In the 200 block of 8th Street SE in Washington D.C., a large tree was blown onto the roof of a row house, though no one was injured. On M Street, a branch fell onto the roadway, narrowly missing a car. On Wisconsin Avenue NW, a fallen tree closed a sidewalk. On F Street, a large tree crushed a truck, partially lifting it and blocking the road.

In Prince George's County, a 12-year-old boy was struck by a tree that fell onto his home's roof in the Kettering area. The boy's father told media that a roof beam hit his son. The boy was taken to the hospital for evaluation and was discharged Friday morning after confirming no internal injuries.

California: Heat and Humidity Overload Los Angeles Grid

Southern California endured a stretch of hot, humid weather in early September, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) acknowledged that its customers experienced outages on September 9-10 caused by "extreme heat and high humidity overloading electrical equipment."

As of Friday morning, September 11, about 5,000 customers in Los Angeles remained without power. LADWP spokesperson Pamela Workman said the outage numbers were "still fluctuating" as service was restored and new outages were reported. In South Los Angeles, more than 2,600 people were without power. In Exposition Park — home to the California Science Center and the new George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art — hundreds were affected. Outages were also reported in Panorama City and Westchester.

LADWP said it had deployed more than 90 field crews across Los Angeles to respond to the outages. The agency had urged customers the previous day to conserve energy as extreme heat and high humidity drove "high power demand."

Preliminary weather data from Los Angeles International Airport showed the dew point remained at 70°F on the morning of September 11. On September 10, the dew point reached 72°F, with downtown dew points exceeding 60°F. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines said that when dew points reach 70 or above, "most people will feel uncomfortable." Parts of Los Angeles County remained under a heat advisory on September 11. Two days earlier, the region broke daily temperature records, with downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Woodland Hills recording triple-digit temperatures.

Hawaii: Hurricane Lowell Knocks Out Power to Kauai and Oahu

On the evening of September 7, Hurricane Lowell brought heavy rain and massive waves to western Hawaii, leaving tens of thousands without power. By the morning of September 8, Lowell's maximum sustained winds reached 177 km/h.

According to Arabic-language media reports, Kauai was the hardest hit, with local officials reporting that approximately 90% of the island's customers were without power. Emergency teams began assessing damage, clearing fallen trees and debris, and repairing the damaged grid.

On Oahu, the utility announced that about 21,000 customers were without power Tuesday morning, mostly concentrated on the island's west and east coasts.

Although Lowell's center did not make direct landfall, its broad wind field extended across the islands, with some areas recording gusts of about 130 km/h. Large waves caused coastal damage, washing sand and rocks onto roads and parks, and multiple major roads were closed due to flooding, fallen trees, and damaged utility poles. Dozens of residents went to evacuation centers, and authorities warned of continued flood and landslide risks.

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Kauai and Niihau, and a tropical storm warning for Oahu.

Missouri: Severe Winds Knock Out Power Across Kansas City Metro

On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 9, severe winds swept through the Kansas City metropolitan area, downing power lines and trees and leaving thousands without power.

Evergy's outage map showed more than 2,700 customers without power, including residents in Lake Winnebago, Pleasant Hill, Strasburg, and Holden.

According to the National Weather Service, multiple Missouri communities reported outages, broken branches, and downed lines, including Baldwin City, Prescott, Pleasanton, Clinton, Kingsville, and Strasburg. Damage in Baldwin City was consistent with wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph. Holden recorded gusts up to 59 mph during the afternoon storms.

Showers and storms continued through the region overnight and into Thursday morning.

Grid Alerts: PJM Emergency Measures, MISO Demand Near Record

Beyond the local outages, federal and regional grid operators issued urgent measures in early September to maintain reliability.

On September 1, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright approved emergency measures for PJM under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. The order took effect September 1 and ran through the evening of September 8. PJM issued a Maximum Generation Emergency Alert, requiring generators with planned outages to report how quickly their units could return to service. It was one step among several aimed at preventing rolling blackouts.

Meanwhile, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) saw peak electricity demand reach approximately 121 gigawatts, close to its all-time record of 127.1 GW. Temperatures exceeding 32°C in Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. drove cooling demand higher.

PJM's latest forecast projects that its summer peak demand will grow by an average of about 3.6% annually over the next decade, potentially reaching approximately 222 gigawatts by 2036 — an increase of about 66 gigawatts over the current forecast baseline. Data center expansion, electrification, and new manufacturing loads are cited as the primary drivers.

A Month of Extremes

From an unprecedented September ice storm to a hurricane in Hawaii, a heat-driven grid failure in Los Angeles, and emergency measures from federal regulators, September 2026 has been a stark illustration of the many ways extreme weather can disrupt American life. As these events become more frequent and more severe, the need for reliable backup power has never been clearer. Explore Kingboss backup power solutions to keep your essential appliances and devices running when the next disaster strikes.

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