The growing number of destructive storms caused by a warming climate has battered the country's aging power grid. Power outages from severe weather in the U.S. have doubled over the past two decades as a warming climate unleashed more destructive storms that wrecked much of America's aging grid, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data. some time.

  Workers begin cleanup at the George Elementary School gym in Springdale, Arkansas, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Severe storms, including at least two tornadoes, injured several people, damaged homes and businesses, and power lines in Arkansas and Missouri acted as tornadoes and hurricanes overnight — with strong winds expected across much of the Deep South on Wednesday. (Flip Putthoff/The Northwest Arkansas Democratic-Gazette via AP)

Tornadoes and severe storms sweep across southern and Midwest U.S.

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According to the U.S. Department of Energy, forty states are experiencing longer outages, with the problems worst in areas with more extreme weather. Power outages can be harmful, even fatal, for the elderly, the disabled, and other vulnerable groups.

  Grid maintenance costs are rising as utilities upgrade decades-old transmission lines and equipment. That means customers who suffer from more frequent and prolonged weather outages also pay more for their electricity bills.

  "The grid is our early warning," said Alexandra von Meier, a power grid expert at the University of California, Berkeley. "Climate change is here and we're feeling the real impact."

The AP analysis found:

  The number of outages tied to severe weather rose from about 50 annually nationwide in the early 2000s to more than 100 annually on average over the past five years.

  The frequency and length of power failures are at their highest levels since reliability tracking began in 2013 – with US customers on average experiencing more than eight hours of outages in 2020.

Maine, Louisiana, and California each experienced at least a 50% increase in outage duration even as residents endured mounting interruption costs over the past several years.

  In California alone, power losses have affected tens of thousands of people who rely on electricity for medical needs.

  Regarding power outages, you can't sit still, you may need to prepare a KEPISM power starter at all times.