Richmond, Virginia Power Outage Today

How reliable is Dominion Energy service in Richmond?

Dominion Energy is an investor-owned utility with 2,635,267 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 1.36 interruptions and 172 minutes (about 2.9 hours) without power, so the average outage lasted about 2.1 hours.

Little of that came from major storms (about 24%). Without major event days the average is still 131 minutes, so the figure mostly reflects everyday faults: failed equipment, tree limbs, animals and vehicles hitting poles.

The typical outage was repaired in about 2.1 hours.

For comparison, Virginia as a whole averaged 418 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Dominion Energy below the state average, which is better.

Among the 17 utilities in Virginia with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Dominion Energy ranks 7th for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 53% of the 926 utilities of that size reported more outage minutes in 2024.

This utility reports with its own method rather than the IEEE standard, so compare its numbers with other utilities loosely.

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 Richmond

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 140 storm reports for Richmond from 2015 through 2026, most often flash flood (69), thunderstorm wind (34), heavy rain (25), and tornado (5). The busiest full year was 2025 with 39 reports and the quietest was 2019 with 1, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in September (38 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 9 storm episodes in Richmond 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 Richmond 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.
• Heavy rain. Saturated ground topples shallow-rooted trees onto lines, and standing water slows crews trying to reach the damage.
• 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.

Storm reports that name Richmond

Within Richmond, 99 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Richmond as their location or in their description: flash flood (51), heavy rain (20), thunderstorm wind (19), and tornado (5). That is about 71% of the county’s reports, so Richmond accounts for much of the county’s storm history. Reports naming Richmond are most common in September. The busiest full year was 2021 with 21. These reports record 1 injury in total.

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

• July 1, 2025 (thunderstorm wind): “A utility company reported around 8,000 customers without power from thunderstorm damage in Richmond.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
• August 11, 2021 (thunderstorm wind): “Trees were downed and power outages were reported across the city of Richmond.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database

Who a power outage hits hardest in Richmond

59.6% of occupied homes in Richmond 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 14.1% of the population in Richmond, below the US share of 17.2% and 14.2% 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 Dominion Energy whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 62.7% of the housing in Richmond 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; 21.6% of homes are in buildings with 20 or more units (US 10.3%), where an outage also stops elevators and water pumps, which matters for upper floors and anyone who cannot use stairs; 56.5% 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 Richmond is $64,587, below the Virginia figure of $93,170. 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 Richmond

The average Dominion Energy home used about 1,005 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 1.4 kW around the clock, and paid about 14.1 cents per kWh (14.4 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $142 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 2.1 hours 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 Richmond

About 230,436 people live in Richmond, the 4th largest of the 10 Virginia cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Dominion Energy’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.

Richmond power outage map

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

Richmond power outage questions