How likely is a power outage in a snow storm?
So its snowning and icing and its suppose to til tmrow. What are the chances we will get a power outage?
-------------------------------------------------------

answers:
ShalloWhale say: It depends on what builds up on the branches of the trees. If it's too much for them to handle, they will break, and take down power lines.
-
busterwasmycat say: Wind and trees are the problem, usually. If you live where power lines pass near or under trees, the risk goes way up. Wind, of course, is a problem whether or not there is snow and ice, but the wight of ice makes it worse.

I live in a forested area and we lose power several times a year (summer and winter), even though the power company comes by and trims the trees every few years. Sometimes it is only for a few seconds or minutes and sometimes for several hours.

This is one of those questions that is best answered by history: do you often lose power from storms or almost never? Expect that to be the same now.
-
Kyle say: it has happened in the past, and you can find articles detailing about why it happened. but without knowing where you live, it's impossible to say.
-
Richard say: I can't give you a quantitative answer because it depends upon how electricity is distributed, the local climate, infrastructure, etc. The likelihood of a power outage is a function of what kind of (and how much) precipitation falls, how the winds behave, whether transmission lines are exposed to the elements or underground,
-
Anonymous say: Depends where you live; and if your power is supplied via underground cables or high-level pylons.
-