Over 200,000 Florida Residents Left without Power Due to Outages

Over half of the population resides in 14 counties in the northern region.

Devastating Hurricane Idalia leaves widespread power outages in its wake, affecting hundreds of thousands of Florida residents. The northern counties and the state’s Big Bend region bear the brunt of the aftermath, with the highest rates of outages, as reported by a Tampa Bay Times analysis.

Power outages are affecting a significant majority of customers in Taylor County, where the storm hit. As of 6:30 p.m., 97% of customers in the area have reported power loss. The nearby counties of Suwannee, Madison, and Jefferson are also experiencing outage rates around 100%. This information is based on data from PowerOutage.us.

Power outages in Taylor County saw a significant increase around 5 a.m., with almost 3,000 reported before the storm hit. Surrounding counties also experienced a rise in outages throughout the morning.

Widespread outages persist throughout the day, with nearly 220,000 still without power by evening. About 80% of these outages, totaling nearly 177,000, are concentrated in 14 counties in the north that lie in Idalia’s path.

Power outages affected thousands of Tampa Bay residents as the storm unleashed tropical winds and caused severe flooding. However, in relation to the overall number of customers impacted, the percentage of those without power is significantly lower compared to those who suffered a direct impact.

Power has been restored to the majority of customers in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties, according to recent data.

Vast majorities lost power in some North Florida counties from Hurricane Idalia.

More than 217,000 Floridians were without power at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.