Appalachian Power Offers Morning Update - January 26, 2026
Today, roughly 3,000 field workers across 57 counties are either assessing damage or restoring power. Winter Storm Fern blanketed APCo’s three-state footprint all day Sunday with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain. The peak number of outages at 4 p.m. Sunday was 44,500. As of 9 a.m. Monday, about 33,000 customers are without power. Field personnel today are combating high wind gusts, fallen trees and limbs, deep snow, frigid temperatures and icy surfaces. These hazardous conditions disrupt travel and delay power restoration work. Wind gusts exceeding 30 mph are expected to further delay. APCo’s real-time Outage Map lists more than 120 warming centers open to the public across its footprint. See below for current outage count by county. Use APCo’s real-time Outage Map for specific outage locations and ETRs. How APCo Restores Power During major outages, APCo prioritizes restoring circuits that deliver electricity to essential public safety facilities, such as hospitals, 911 call centers, water treatment plants and police and fire stations. Next, crews focus on repairing lines and equipment that restore power to the largest groups of customers. Sometimes, a single repair can bring service back to hundreds or thousands of people. Crews then address repairs that restore power to smaller groups, often dozens of customers at a time. Finally, power is restored to individual homes and businesses. This phase can take time after a major storm due to the high number of individual repairs needed. Winter Storm Safety Tips from Stay away from downed lines and anything they may be touching, including tree limbs and fences. Call 911 or APCo at 800-956-4237 immediately to report any safety concerns. If you rely on electricity for medical equipment, have an emergency plan and review it regularly. 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. 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. More tips on AppalachianPower.com/Safety  Staying Connected APCo’s Storm Response Team encourages customers to enroll in Outage Alerts. Outage Alerts notify customers of power outages, their estimated restoration times (ETRs) and any applicable updates. Follow APCo on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for updates. Next Update 1 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 26 Outage Count by County VirginiaOutage CountAlbemarle0Amherst0Appomattox0Bedford0BlandLess than 5Botetourt0Buchanan0Buckingham0Campbell0Carroll0Craig0Dickenson0Floyd0Fluvanna0Franklin0Giles0Grayson516Henry0Montgomery21Nelson0Patrick12Pittsylvania0Pulaski0Roanoke118RussellLess than 5Scott14Smyth5,373Tazewell0Washington9,453WiseLess than 5Wythe32 West VirginiaOutage CountBoone354Cabell14Clay235Fayette15GreenbrierLess than 5Jackson86Kanawha14,631Lincoln1,726Logan158Marshall0MasonLess than 5McDowellLess than 5Mercer0Mingo294Monroe0Nicholas5Ohio11Putnam590RaleighLess than 5Roane311Summers0Wayne13Wyoming119 Read the full article
