Paterson, New Jersey Power Outage Today

How reliable is PSE&G service in Paterson?

PSE&G is an investor-owned utility with 2,534,077 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 0.57 interruptions and 45 minutes (45 minutes) without power, so the average outage lasted 80 minutes.

Little of that came from major storms (about 13%). Without major event days the average is still 39 minutes, so the figure mostly reflects everyday faults: failed equipment, tree limbs, animals and vehicles hitting poles.

Outages are infrequent, fewer than one per customer a year, and each was fixed in 80 minutes on average.

For comparison, New Jersey as a whole averaged 174 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts PSE&G below the state average, which is better.

Among the 4 utilities in New Jersey with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, PSE&G ranks 1st for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 85% 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 Paterson

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 123 storm reports for Passaic County from 2015 through 2026, most often flash flood (74), thunderstorm wind (41), hail (6), and flood (1). The busiest full year was 2021 with 27 reports and the quietest was 2015 with 3, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in July (40 since 2015), followed by August and May. 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 5 storm episodes in Passaic County since 2015, most often in January. 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 Paterson do to the grid:

• Flash 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.
• 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.
• Lightning. Lightning trips breakers, burns out transformers and can damage electronics connected to the grid; a surge protector on valuable equipment is cheap insurance.

Storm reports that name Paterson

Within Passaic County, 8 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Paterson as their location or in their description: flash flood (5), thunderstorm wind (2), and lightning (1). That is about 7% of the county’s reports, so most of the county’s weather history happened elsewhere.

Who a power outage hits hardest in Paterson

81.6% of occupied homes in Paterson are heated with piped natural gas, and 13.7% with electricity (US 41.3% electric). A gas furnace still needs electricity for its blower and ignition, so a long winter outage leaves these homes cold too, though a gas supply stays on when the grid fails. Never heat a home with an oven, grill or camp stove indoors.

Residents aged 65 or older are 12.2% of the population in Paterson, below the US share of 17.2% and 9.2% 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 PSE&G whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 69.6% of the housing in Paterson was built before 1970 (US 35.5%), and older neighborhoods often have overhead service lines and mature trees close to the wires, which makes them more exposed to storm outages; 73.1% of households rent (US 34.8%), so many residents depend on a landlord to restore building systems and cannot add a generator or battery themselves.

Median household income in Paterson is $55,997, below the New Jersey figure of $103,556. For many households, replacing a freezer of spoiled food or paying for a hotel during a long outage is a real hardship; dialing 211 connects to local shelters, warming or cooling centers and utility assistance programs.

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

Backup power and electricity use in Paterson

The average PSE&G home used about 566 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 0.8 kW around the clock, and paid about 20.4 cents per kWh (19.1 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $115 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 80 minutes takes less than 1 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 Paterson

About 159,732 people live in Paterson, the 3rd largest of the 10 New Jersey cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check PSE&G’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.

Paterson power outage map

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

Paterson power outage questions