Frederick, Maryland Power Outage Today

How reliable is Potomac Edison service in Frederick?

Potomac Edison is an investor-owned utility with 284,807 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 1.11 interruptions and 168 minutes (about 2.8 hours) without power, so the average outage lasted about 2.5 hours.

Little of that came from major storms (about 5%). Without major event days the average is still 159 minutes, so the figure mostly reflects everyday faults: failed equipment, tree limbs, animals and vehicles hitting poles.

The typical outage was repaired in about 2.5 hours.

For comparison, Maryland as a whole averaged 118 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Potomac Edison above the state average.

Among the 7 utilities in Maryland with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Potomac Edison ranks 7th for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 54% of the 926 utilities of that size reported more outage minutes in 2024.

These are the figures the utility itself reported to the US Energy Information Administration (Form EIA-861, 2024) and describe the whole service territory, not one street. Your own address can be better or worse.

Storm season and outages in Frederick

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 536 storm reports for Frederick County from 2015 through 2026, most often thunderstorm wind (313), flood (163), flash flood (32), and hail (22). The busiest full year was 2018 with 102 reports and the quietest was 2024 with 17, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in August (104 since 2015), followed by July and September. October is outside those three months, so an outage now is less likely to be weather-related.

NOAA’s own narratives name power outages in 2 storm episodes in Frederick County since 2015. That count is a floor, since the database records outages only when a spotter or agency mentions them.

What the most common storm types in Frederick do to the grid:

• Thunderstorm wind. Straight-line wind pushes trees and limbs into distribution lines. These outages are usually local, a street or a neighborhood at a time, and crews clear them circuit by circuit.
• Flood. Floodwater reaches ground-level transformers, meters and low-lying substations. Utilities may shut power off ahead of the water on purpose, and wading near flooded equipment can electrocute.
• Hail. Hail rarely cuts power by itself, but it often arrives with the wind and lightning that do, and it breaks solar panels, windshields and exposed utility equipment.

Storm reports that name Frederick

Within Frederick County, 91 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Frederick as their location or in their description: thunderstorm wind (41), flood (33), flash flood (9), and hail (4). That is about 17% of the county’s reports. Reports naming Frederick are most common in September. The busiest full year was 2018 with 19.

In NOAA’s own words, storms that left Frederick without power:

• June 6, 2026 (thunderstorm wind): “Frederick County OEM reported hundreds of trees and wires down resulting in over 9,000 power outages and dozens of blocked roadways.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• September 26, 2018 (thunderstorm wind): “Power lines were blown down at the 14000 block of Old Frederick Road.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database

Who a power outage hits hardest in Frederick

50.4% of occupied homes in Frederick are heated with electricity (US 41.3%). In a winter outage those homes lose heat the moment the power fails, and electric furnaces and heat pumps are too large to run from a portable generator. Warm layers, blankets and a plan for where to stay matter more here than in a gas-heated city.

Residents aged 65 or older are 14.3% of the population in Frederick, close to the US share of 17.2% and 11.5% report a disability (US 13.3%). These are the households most likely to depend on powered medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines and refrigerated medicine. If someone in your home does, ask Potomac Edison whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 27% of the housing in Frederick was built before 1970 (US 35.5%).

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (housing, heating fuel, age and disability tables).

Backup power and electricity use in Frederick

The average Potomac Edison home used about 1,086 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 1.5 kW around the clock, and paid about 13.8 cents per kWh (17.5 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $150 a month.

Keeping only the essentials on (a refrigerator, router, a few lights and phone chargers, about 400 watts) through an outage that lasts the average about 2.5 hours takes about 1.0 kWh. A portable power station or a power bank covers that; a generator is more than most households here need for a typical outage.

A generator must never run indoors, in a garage or near a window; generator and food-safety rules are in the power outage guide linked below.

If the power is out in Frederick

About 78,780 people live in Frederick, the 2nd largest of the 5 Maryland cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Potomac Edison’s outage map for an estimate. If neighbors have power and you do not, report it again: the fault may be on the line to your house alone, which is a separate repair.

Frederick power outage map

Potomac Edison’s outage map has the official restoration estimate for your address; the count above comes from residents. Food and generator safety: power outage guide.

Frederick power outage questions