Reading, Pennsylvania Power Outage Today

How reliable is Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) service in Reading?

Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) is an investor-owned utility with 2,076,402 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 1.85 interruptions and 403 minutes (about 6.7 hours) without power, so the average outage lasted about 3.6 hours.

Major event days, the severe-weather days that utilities report separately, made up about 45% of that time. Without them the average is 221 minutes, so weather matters here but ordinary equipment faults and tree contact account for most of the total.

The typical outage was repaired in about 3.6 hours.

For comparison, Pennsylvania as a whole averaged 336 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) above the state average.

Among the 9 utilities in Pennsylvania with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) ranks 7th for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 25% 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 Reading

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 792 storm reports for Berks County from 2015 through 2026, most often thunderstorm wind (568), flash flood (113), hail (61), and flood (18). The busiest full year was 2020 with 154 reports and the quietest was 2016 with 19, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in July (226 since 2015), followed by August and June. 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 40 storm episodes in Berks County since 2015, most often in March. 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 Reading 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.
• 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.
• Heavy rain. Saturated ground topples shallow-rooted trees onto lines, and standing water slows crews trying to reach the damage.

Storm reports that name Reading

Within Berks County, 48 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Reading as their location or in their description: thunderstorm wind (32), flash flood (12), flood (1), and heavy rain (1). That is about 6% of the county’s reports, so most of the county’s weather history happened elsewhere. Reports naming Reading are most common in July. The busiest full year was 2020 with 16.

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

• June 3, 2020 (thunderstorm wind): “Several tree limbs and power lines down in the Reading area.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• April 9, 2020 (thunderstorm wind): “A video posted to social media from downtown Reading showed numerous trees uprooted and downed, as well as numerous downed power lines.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• September 11, 2019 (thunderstorm wind): “Power outages and tree damage was reported in several areas north of Reading.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database

Who a power outage hits hardest in Reading

54.1% of occupied homes in Reading are heated with piped natural gas, and 28.2% 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 10.7% of the population in Reading, below the US share of 17.2% and 17.4% 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 Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 81.8% of the housing in Reading 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; 59.4% 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 Reading is $44,091, below the Pennsylvania figure of $77,971. 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 Reading

The average Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) home used about 857 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 1.2 kW around the clock, and paid about 17.4 cents per kWh (17.2 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $149 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 3.6 hours takes about 1.5 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 Reading

About 95,420 people live in Reading, the 4th largest of the 10 Pennsylvania cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Met-Ed (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.

Reading power outage map

Met-Ed (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.

Reading power outage questions