Provo, Utah Power Outage Today

How reliable is Provo City Power service in Provo?

Provo City Power is a city-owned utility with 41,303 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 0.47 interruptions and 35 minutes (35 minutes) without power, so the average outage lasted 75 minutes.

Little of that came from major storms (about 0%). Without major event days the average is still 35 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 75 minutes on average.

For comparison, Utah as a whole averaged 120 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Provo City Power below the state average, which is better.

Among the 10 utilities in Utah with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Provo City Power ranks 3rd for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 89% 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 Provo

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 118 storm reports for Utah County from 2015 through 2026, most often thunderstorm wind (81), flash flood (15), hail (10), and flood (5). The busiest full year was 2023 with 31 reports and the quietest was 2018 with 3, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in August (41 since 2015), followed by July 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 5 storm episodes in Utah County since 2015, most often in April. 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 Provo 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.

Storm reports that name Provo

Within Utah County, 19 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Provo as their location or in their description: thunderstorm wind (17) and flood (2). That is about 16% of the county’s reports. Reports naming Provo are most common in August. The busiest full year was 2023 with 6.

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

• September 11, 2016 (thunderstorm wind): “A dry microburst knocked down several power lines along Freedom Boulevard in Provo.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database

Who a power outage hits hardest in Provo

73.7% of occupied homes in Provo are heated with piped natural gas, and 22.9% 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 6.7% of the population in Provo, below the US share of 17.2% and 10.7% 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 Provo City Power whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 28.7% of the housing in Provo was built before 1970 (US 35.5%); 60.6% 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 Provo is $64,171, below the Utah figure of $95,166. 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 Provo

The average Provo City Power home used about 610 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 0.8 kW around the clock, and paid about 11.4 cents per kWh (12.2 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $69 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 75 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 Provo

About 116,868 people live in Provo, the 3rd largest of the 5 Utah cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Provo City Power’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.

Provo power outage map

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

Provo power outage questions