Toledo, Ohio Power Outage Today

How reliable is Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy) service in Toledo?

Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy) is an investor-owned utility with 312,806 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 1.03 interruptions and 121 minutes (about 2 hours) without power, so the average outage lasted 118 minutes.

Little of that came from major storms (about 21%). Without major event days the average is still 95 minutes, so the figure mostly reflects everyday faults: failed equipment, tree limbs, animals and vehicles hitting poles.

The typical outage was repaired in 118 minutes.

For comparison, Ohio as a whole averaged 510 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy) below the state average, which is better.

Among the 30 utilities in Ohio with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy) ranks 11th for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 65% 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 Toledo

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 139 storm reports for Lucas County from 2015 through 2026, most often thunderstorm wind (96), hail (32), flood (4), and flash flood (4). The busiest full year was 2023 with 26 reports and the quietest was 2025 with 3, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in June (41 since 2015), followed by July 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 10 storm episodes in Lucas County since 2015, most often in February. 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 Toledo 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Storm reports that name Toledo

Within Lucas County, 59 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Toledo as their location or in their description: thunderstorm wind (38), hail (14), flood (3), and flash flood (3). That is about 42% of the county’s reports, so Toledo accounts for much of the county’s storm history. Reports naming Toledo are most common in June. The busiest full year was 2023 with 20. These reports record 2 injuries in total.

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

• June 5, 2016 (thunderstorm wind): “The public reported numerous large tree branches brought down by thunderstorm winds causing power outages near the University of Toledo.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database

Who a power outage hits hardest in Toledo

74% of occupied homes in Toledo are heated with piped natural gas, and 23.7% 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 15.6% of the population in Toledo, close to the US share of 17.2% and 17.3% 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 Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy) whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 70.6% of the housing in Toledo 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; 46.7% 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 Toledo is $49,724, below the Ohio figure of $71,389. 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 Toledo

The average Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy) home used about 740 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 1.0 kW around the clock, and paid about 16.6 cents per kWh (16.5 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $123 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 118 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 Toledo

About 270,871 people live in Toledo, the 4th largest of the 10 Ohio cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Toledo Edison (FirstEnergy)’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.

Toledo power outage map

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

Toledo power outage questions