Duke Energy announced on March 15 that it is preparing for damaging high winds and possible tornadic activity expected throughout Monday in the Carolinas, which could lead to downed trees and power lines.
The company said these weather conditions may cause power outages, and urged customers to take precautions ahead of the storm. Duke Energy storm director Rick Canavan said, “Strong wind gusts can bring down trees and power lines and cause outages, and our line and tree crews will work as quickly and safely as possible to restore service as outages occur.” He added, “We’re closely monitoring weather conditions, and we encourage customers to prepare now, stay weather‑aware, and always avoid downed power lines.”
Duke Energy advised customers to make a plan by charging phones, gathering flashlights with extra batteries, downloading or updating the Duke Energy app, confirming account login information, signing up for outage alerts, and knowing how to report an outage. The company also reminded residents to stay away from downed power lines or storm debris for safety reasons.
The utility highlighted recent grid improvements such as upgraded poles and wires, placing outage-prone lines underground, and adding smart technology that can reroute power automatically. Despite these upgrades intended to reduce outages and speed restoration times, severe weather may still result in extended outages. Restoration efforts could be delayed if blocked roads or hazardous travel conditions prevent crews from accessing affected areas. Additionally, crews cannot perform elevated work in bucket trucks when winds reach 30 miles per hour or higher.
Duke Energy serves 8.6 million electric utility customers across six states including North Carolina and South Carolina. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades as part of its energy transition strategy focused on reliability and cleaner generation sources such as natural gas, nuclear energy, renewables, and energy storage.
Customers seeking more information can visit duke-energy.com or follow Duke Energy on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or contact their 24-hour support line.