Inside Rochester’s Blizzard Power Outage and Light Show

Stormy weather is often the cause of power outages, and that was the case last weekend when a major outage impacted portions of Rochester during the blizzard Sunday evening.

Why the Outage Created a “Light Show”

Rochester Public Utilities General Manager Tim McCollough says the outage occurred when strong winds pushed a tree across some power lines, which essentially caused a short circuit as the flow of electricity went to the ground. The result was a fairly spectacular light show, as the arcing electrical current ionized the air and created plasma, producing the bluish and greenish lights that were observed near downtown Rochester.

McCollough discussed the outage and the general topic of power outages during his latest monthly appearance with Andy Brownell on Rochester Today  Wednesday afternoon on News-Talk 1340 KROC-AM and 96.9 FM.

Click on the link below to hear the entire interview.

How the Electrical Grid Responded to the Failure

McCollough explained that the disruption in the flow of electricity automatically tripped breakers that protect key components of the electrical grid from being damaged, which also cut off electrical service to thousands of homes. In that case, McCollough says RPU crews were able to identify the problem fairly quickly and clear the foliage causing the disruption before resetting the breakers that shut off the flow of electricity.

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Why Animals Often Trigger Electrical Disruptions

The RPU general manager also noted that another major cause of power outages is animals, particularly squirrels. He says squirrels have a penchant for climbing power lines and put themselves in situations where their bodies provide a pathway for electrical current. The same goes for snakes, raccoons, and other critters that come into contact with electrical equipment.