COLUMBUS, Strong winds knocked out power for nearly 70,000 AEP Ohio customers in Franklin County Friday, part of a statewide outage that left more than 350,000 Ohio homes and businesses without electricity, according to AEP Ohio.
Wind gusts of up to 80 mph were recorded across parts of central Ohio on Friday, snapping trees and power lines across the region. As of Saturday morning, crews were still working to restore service to thousands of customers.
To check your outage status or report a power problem, visit the AEP Ohio outage map at aepohio.com or call AEP Ohio at 1-800-277-2177. Columbus Division of Power customers should call 614-645-7627 or visit columbus.gov.
What the Weather Is Doing Now
Saturday looks calmer. Columbus will see partly sunny skies with a high near 49 degrees and light northwest winds, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 41.
But another round of rough weather is on the way.
Sunday brings a warm-up to near 72 degrees, the warmest day of the week, but south winds will gust up to 38 mph during the day. Rain moves in Sunday night after 2 a.m. with an 80 percent chance of precipitation. Winds Sunday night could gust up to 39 mph.
Monday turns messy. Rain is likely through midday before switching to a chance of snow in the afternoon, with a high near 48 degrees. Southwest winds could gust up to 37 mph. Less than half an inch of snow is possible.
Monday night brings another chance of snow before 8 p.m. with temperatures dropping to around 19 degrees, the coldest night of the forecast period.
Tuesday stays cold with a high near 30 degrees. A chance of snow returns Wednesday before a warmup to near 59 degrees by Thursday.
The massive power outages come just as highlighted the march 7 Power outage that we restored to Thousands After Storms in Pickaway and Fairfield Counties.
If Your Power Is Still Out
With temperatures dropping to 19 degrees Monday night, officials urge residents whose power is still out to make arrangements to stay warm. Never run a generator, grill, or camp stove inside a home or garage, even with windows open. These produce carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that can be deadly within minutes indoors, according to the Ohio State Fire Marshal.
Updates on outages in the Columbus area are available at aepohio.com and columbus.gov.
This article is based on data from the National Weather Service Wilmington, AEP Ohio outage reports Published: March 14, 2026 | ColumbusFrontline.com