Thursday, September 3rd, 2026 — Extreme heat is increasing the risk of power outages across parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic as electricity demand strains two of the nation’s largest regional power grids.
The Department of Energy warned of heightened blackout risks within the PJM Interconnection, which serves 67 million people from Washington, D.C., to Chicago. Energy Secretary Chris Wright authorized PJM to call on backup generation resources as a last resort before declaring a level 3 energy emergency, one of the final steps before rotating blackouts may be ordered.
PJM also issued a maximum generation emergency alert directing generators with planned outages to report how quickly they could return units to service. Temperatures in Chicago, St. Louis and Washington were expected to climb above 90 degrees as electricity demand peaked.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages the grid across 15 states in the Midwest and South, projected peak demand of about 121 gigawatts. Its all-time high is 127.1 GW. MISO increased its reserve requirement to guard against unexpected power plant outages and transmission congestion.
For property and catastrophe claims professionals, sustained power outages could lead to claims involving damaged property or interrupted business operations, depending on the cause of loss and policy terms. No insured losses have been reported, but the large territories served by PJM and MISO give carriers and adjusters a broad area to monitor if grid conditions deteriorate.
Utilities are also asking customers to conserve electricity. In rural Missouri’s Ozark region, Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative advised customers to unplug unused appliances and chargers and consider raising thermostat settings to reduce air-conditioning demand.
