A massive blackout struck Southern California on Thursday night, leaving large sections without power for approximately 100 minutes. The outage began suddenly at 7:41 PM PT in San Diego and Orange Counties. San Diego Gas & Electric said power was restored to all customers by 9 PM local time, but the cause remains under investigation. Many suspected the blackout may have been caused by an Iranian-led cyberattack on the US, though officials have not stated any connection to such an incident. Iran has already claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Michigan-based medical technology giant Stryker in early March. Residents captured video of drivers speeding along pitch-black roads with no traffic lights or street lamps working, and a local Costco in Carlsbad was among businesses that lost power. SDG&E said in a statement that they understand how disruptive outages can be and are working to investigate the cause, with safety as their top priority. The state's Office of Emergency Services did not acknowledge a large-scale blackout had taken place, with no mention on its website or social media as of Friday morning, and Governor Gavin Newsom has not issued any statements. According to California's outage-tracking website, at least 300 customers in San Diego are currently without power because of 'unplanned' disruptions, while over 3,500 more customers lost electricity in neighboring Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties due to planned utility work.
In Sweden, Härjeåns electricity network customers are receiving compensation for long power outages during storm Johannes in the Christmas holidays. The utility is paying a total of 1,038,000 kronor to about 1,400 electricity network customers in Jämtland County. Compensation goes to customers who had a continuous power outage of at least 12 hours, and they will receive it through a deduction on their electricity network invoice. Storm Johannes swept over the county during the Christmas holidays and affected southern Norrland and northern Dalarna.
A separate incident occurred at Ryhov County Hospital in Sweden, where a patient was without oxygen on Tuesday morning due to a power outage. Shortly after five o'clock in the morning, the electricity disappeared in some wall outlets on some departments at the hospital. Operations manager Jonas Lind said there was never any danger, considering the backup systems in place.
District heating disruptions have also hit Eskilstuna, affecting about 9,000 customers since six o'clock on Saturday morning. According to Eskilstuna energi och miljö's website, 8,868 customers in Eskilstuna, Torshälla, and Skogstorp are affected. The disruption may lead to residents at the affected addresses experiencing lower temperatures for heating and hot water. Repair work is ongoing, but there is no prognosis for when the problem will be resolved.
An extensive power outage is currently ongoing in Östergötland, affecting 2,315 customers according to Eon. The cause of the outage has not yet been determined, and currently there is no prognosis for when power supply can be restored. Work to investigate the fault and remedy the situation is ongoing.
In Arizona, thousands were left without electricity over the weekend after foil balloons struck power lines. Mylar balloons were released into the air in two different neighborhoods, leaving an estimated 9,000 homes and businesses without power, according to Arizona Public Service. Balloons from a party in Peoria, a suburb of Phoenix, clashed with power lines on Saturday afternoon, knocking out almost 3,000 customers. The next day, another bizarrely similar incident occurred just an hour away on the other side of Phoenix in Chandler, where APS reported that a whopping 6,000 homes were left in the dark after balloons clashed into a power line. In both instances, power crews were able to restore the electricity within the same day, and as of Tuesday morning, there were no power outages reported in the Phoenix area, according to APS's live tracker. APS warns customers every year around Valentine's Day and ahead of the spring season to be wary of Mylar balloons coming loose, as in 2023, APS responded to over 100 power outages caused by Mylar balloons, impacting nearly 100,000 customers. Mylar balloons have a metallic coating, which can conduct electricity and is highly flammable, and when they come in contact with power lines pulsing electricity, it can melt wires, spark fires, damage property and even cause injuries to those nearby. APS released a video demonstrating what can happen when a Mylar balloon clashes with a power line, with terrifying footage showing the balloon quickly engulfed in flames before sparking an electrical fire. The incidents serve as a reminder to use balloons only indoors and to keep them secured, and APS recommends deflating balloons before disposing of them and never attempting to retrieve a balloon if it gets stuck in a power line.
In Tampere, Finland, a power outage on Monday affected about 5,500 people. According to Aamulehti, the cause was revealed to be rodents gnawing on cable line equipment. According to AL, rodents likely die when causing power outages, and a dead rat was found after each outage. The rodents had nested in the area and could not be removed by insulation or rat poison. Ilta-Sanomat reported in February that rodents are moving around Tampere exceptionally much. Tampereen alueellinen terveydensuojeluyksikkö collects rodent observations in Pirkanmaa.
In Norway, a severe storm is expected overnight to Monday with strong winds along the coast in Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland. Both the grid companies Linea and Arva are preparing for power outages. In a press release from Arva, they inform that they are also manning up with available technicians tonight, strategically placed along the coast in southern Nordland, where the storm gusts are expected to hit hardest. Arva's preparedness leader Tarjei Langvand Solvang says the storm will likely hit Rødøy, Lurøy, and Træna hardest, and their technicians are prepared to go out if the power goes out. Locally, strong wind gusts of 30–37 m/s from the southwest and full storm on the coast are reported, with the wind increasing first in the south and decreasing last in the north. Arva prepares people to ally with a neighbor, charge mobile phones and battery banks, find flashlights, batteries, warm blankets, and firewood if possible. They also ask people to avoid unnecessary travel in exposed areas and keep a good distance if they see downed poles or power lines on the ground.
A major power outage occurred in Valdemarsvik, Sweden, taking over seven hours before power was restored to all customers.
Over 600 are without power in Stjørdal, Norway, on Maundy Thursday afternoon. Tensio reports that there has been a break in the power supply in Stjørdal, and at 16:30, 612 customers are without power in the area near Skjelstadmark, according to the supplier's map. Tensio writes on its website that they apologize for the interruption and their technicians are sent out to restore the power supply as quickly as possible.
In Kisa, Sweden, there is trouble with district heating on Good Friday. At around 10 o'clock, it was unclear what caused the outage, according to a press release from Tekniska verken. They do not mention how many customers are affected. While searching for the cause of the outage, they are starting up a district heating boiler near Värgårdsskolan in Kinda municipality, according to the press release.
Thousands of electricity customers in Luleå, Sweden, were without power during the night. At 23:30, 8,600 electricity customers became without power in parts of Luleå and in the Luleå archipelago. Preliminarily, Luleå energi estimated having the fault rectified by 00:30, but later moved that prognosis to three o'clock at night.
Parts of Hagfors, Sweden, have been blacked out during the week, affecting quite large parts of Hagfors urban area.
Vattenfall's customers in Säffle and Åmål are just now experiencing power issues, though the full extent and cause remain unclear due to an incomplete report.