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Despite facing two winter storms in less than two weeks, Alabama Power customers saw minimal impact and stayed warm during the cold weather thanks to the company’s reliable grid and line workers’ ability to quickly answer the call. 

“Our team worked tirelessly and braved some very challenging conditions to ensure that our customers had power when they needed it,” said Corey Sweeney, manager of Storm Center Operations for Alabama Power. “They showed incredible dedication and commitment to our customers as they navigated icy roads and frigid temperatures to get the job done.” 

While Winter Storm Cora battered the northern part of the state in early January, Winter Storm Enzo ensured that the southern portion of Alabama experienced its own share of winter weather. Beginning on Jan. 21, Enzo made its way through the state, pummeling the southern regions with snow and ice. The town of Babbie reported a staggering 11 inches of snowfall, while Mobile recorded an unprecedented 7.5 inches, the most the city has seen on record for any snow event dating back to the 1800s. 

Despite the record-breaking snow and ice, less than 2% of Alabama Power customers experienced outages between Winter Storms Cora and Enzo. Informative text messages were sent out to customers for both storms to help them prepare, with more than 378,000 text messages sent for Cora and more than 1 million for Enzo. 

Alabama Power was ready for the storm far in advance, watching the weather and making preparations to respond to its customers’ needs. Despite transportation challenges that many folks were seeing in their areas, Alabama Power’s crews were able to reach people due to their preparedness. 

“I’ve been here 20 years and I’ve never seen it like this,” said James Tucker, a local operations lineman in Headland. “Some of the challenges we face are driving in icy conditions and working in a lot of layers of clothes. It was different for us for sure, but we do our best to be the force after nature.” 

Alabama Power provides value to its customers through grid reliability. However, even the most reliable grid can fall victim to severe weather on occasion. High winds can blow trees down onto power lines, while heavy snow and ice can have severe impacts to the grid. The company depends on both the power of its people and its outage prevention technology to get customers’ power back on safely and quickly.   

Line workers often sacrifice time with their families and the comforts of home to repair the grid and ensure Alabama Power customers stay online. 

“This is no different than any other storm to us,” said Greg Ledbetter, lead lineman in Eufaula. “Lights out is lights out.” 

To learn more about Alabama Power’s grid modernization, including outage prevention technology, or energy-saving tips and winter weather safety, visit www.alabamapower.com.