A multi-year analysis of the impact of heatwaves and compound weather events on power outages

Across the United States, power grids are increasingly under strain from extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, high winds, and heavy precipitation, that result in frequent, long-duration and widespread power outages. The strain is intensified when these events are compounded, which amplifies their impact and exacerbates the risk of disruptions. To identify weather variables driving outages and cluster regions based on these variables, we employed a self-organizing map (SOM) approach using county-level outage data from 2015 to 2022, obtained using the U.S. Department of Energy's EAGLE-I platform, and weather data from the ASOS weather station observations. The findings revealed substantial regional differences in outages resulting from variability in heat, wind, and precipitation. In California, for example, high heat coupled with strong wind gusts led to the most severe outages, while in Texas, the primary contributors were high heat followed by heavy precipitation. This research provides a nuanced understanding of weather-induced power outages, offering a data-driven approach for infrastructure planning and resilience efforts. This study underscores the crucial role of continental weather variability in shaping outage patterns and highlights the necessity for region-specific adaptation strategies to enhance grid resilience, considering the rise in heatwaves and compounding weather events.