Commission issues report on utilities’ response to April 2025 storm in Western Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has released a final report on the actions of the region’s electric companies in the wake of an unexpectedly dangerous thunderstorm that struck Western Pennsylvania, including Butler County, in April 2025.
According to the National Weather Service, winds approached speeds as high as 80 mph during the storm. At least four deaths were reported as a result of the storm, and hundreds of thousands of residents lost electric service, including at least 5,200 West Penn Power customers in Butler County.
The report contains 25 findings and 10 recommendations for the region’s largest electricity providers, including FirstEnergy, the parent of West Penn Power.
In the report, both FirstEnergy and another provider, Duquesne Light Company — which services both Allegheny and Beaver counties — were noted for working effectively with local officials and emergency management during the crisis.
The report recommended 10 areas of improvement for the region’s utility companies regarding their response to similar severe weather events in the future.
One recommendation was for local power companies to reestablish a “storm response best practice group,” which, according to the report, has “not met in several years.” This group would focus on establishing road closure procedures, restoration time estimation processes, prediction modeling and crew management.
Another recommendation was for utility companies to periodically consult other companies from more storm-prone states, such as Florida, for their advice on storm response and restoration practices.
The report also found the preparation of both companies to the coming storm was “adequate and in keeping with the decades of experience of staff that work, or worked, in emergency response and electric reliability.”
FirstEnergy was noted for marshaling “sufficient” linemen to assist in restoring electricity to its thousands of affected customers.
The full text of the report is available on the commission’s website.
“The dedication and service of all utility workers should be commended as they worked under very difficult circumstances responding to the April Storm,” reads the report, which was conducted by the commission’s Bureau of Technical Utility Services.
