AEP Ohio Power Outage Map: 254,000 Customers Dark Statewide as 70 MPH Winds Shred Power Grid

More than 254,000 AEP Ohio customers lost power Friday as a ferocious windstorm swept across Ohio with gusts approaching 70 mph — making Ohio the state with the most power outages in the entire country right now. Franklin County, home to Columbus, is the single hardest-hit county, with nearly 87,000 customers without electricity as of Friday evening.

AEP Ohio Power Outage by County: Live Breakdown

Here is the county-by-county breakdown of confirmed AEP Ohio power outage figures as of 6:45 p.m. ET Friday:

Ohio currently ranks first for total power outages in the United States and first for percentage of customers affected nationwide. American Electric Power Ohio has the most customers out of any single utility in Ohio, with 254,554 confirmed power outages.

Ohio Edison Power Outage Adds Thousands More in Richland County

Ohio Edison is separately reporting major outages across Richland County, impacting around 11,000 customers — roughly one in four of the entire Ohio Edison Richland County customer base. Outages are widespread throughout the county, with the hardest-hit areas in and around Mansfield.

In total, more than 14,000 households in Richland County alone were without power as of 4:40 p.m. ET Friday — combining both the AEP Ohio and Ohio Edison outage totals. Neither utility had provided a restoration estimate at the time of reporting due to ongoing dangerous conditions.

Wind Speeds Making Power Restoration Dangerous and Slow

AEP Ohio confirmed crews are working to resolve the outages but could not provide an estimate on when power would be restored because gusts up to 70 mph in some areas made it too risky for personnel to repair downed lines. Meanwhile, the winds continued to knock down additional trees and lines, adding new outages even as crews worked to restore existing ones.

Strong winds make restoration especially difficult because crews cannot use bucket trucks when wind speeds exceed 40 mph. Fallen trees and blocked roads add further delays as workers travel to outage locations. Local police departments and fire departments are asking residents to report any downed lines immediately.

Power Outage Cleveland and Central Ohio Infrastructure Impact

The Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus had no power as of 4:35 p.m. ET Friday. Tanger Outlets also announced a temporary closure due to a power outage. In Delaware County, Route 315 at Jewett Road was closed in both directions due to storm damage from the high winds.

A large tree section was ripped off and downed onto Cloudberry Pass in The Green at Hampsted Village on Columbus' northeast side. The tree was one of at least four knocked down in that single subdivision — and among dozens throughout central Ohio downed by the storm.

PENELEC and South Central Power Also Reporting Outages

South Central Power is reporting approximately 5,000 outages in Fairfield County, 2,500 in Franklin County, 1,700 in Pickaway County, and 1,200 in Perry County, adding thousands more on top of AEP Ohio totals.

AEP Ohio Was Prepared — But Winds Overwhelmed Resources

AEP Ohio had deployed more than 2,000 line and tree personnel across the state ahead of the storm and brought in an additional 400 workers specifically for Friday's anticipated high-wind event. The utility uses AI and drone technology to track trees that could pose a threat to power lines, running on a four-year proactive trimming cycle.

Despite that preparation, the historic gusts overwhelmed restoration capacity across large swaths of central and north-central Ohio.

How to Report and Track Your AEP Ohio Power Outage

AEP Ohio customers can track their outage status and receive real-time restoration updates at aepohio.com/outages or by calling 1-800-672-2231. Enrolling in AEP Ohio alerts gives customers instant notifications for both billing and outage updates.

The High Wind Warning for most of central Ohio was set to expire at 8 p.m. ET Friday, with the warning extended through midnight for eastern Ohio counties including Coshocton, Guernsey, Muskingum, Noble, and Tuscarawas.