Thousands lost power in Penns Valley area Friday afternoon. Nearly all now have it again
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Nearly 2,800 West Penn Power customers lost electricity Friday in the Penns Valley area.
- West Penn Power expects full service restoration by approximately 6 p.m. Friday.
- The outage marks the latest in a string of service interruptions this spring and summer.
Yet another outage left thousands of Penns Valley area customers without electricity Friday for at least a couple hours.
Nearly 2,800 West Penn Power customers in Centre County were affected by the outage but, by 6 p.m., only a few dozen county residents remained without power. The power company’s online outage map had shown three separate outages affecting Penns Valley area towns such as Millheim, Aaronsburg, Rebersburg and Coburn.
West Penn Power’s outage map reported smaller, isolated outages in Spring Mills and Bellefonte, too.
Friday afternoon’s outages started at roughly 2:17 p.m. when gusty storms passed through the Penns Valley area, FirstEnergy spokesperson Todd Meyers said. Though the exact cause remains uncertain, there was an issue along the large power line that feeds West Penn Power’s Millheim substation and the neighboring lines that distribute power to the area.
West Penn Power’s website estimated that power should be restored by 6 p.m. And, by that time, only 64 Centre County residents were still without power.
Friday’s outage marked the latest notable service interruption for Centre County customers over the past few months. The most notable outage arrived in late April when a historic storm blew through the area and left tens of thousands of customers without electricity for days. Other interruptions came when a State College transformer blew out on a sweltering June afternoon and when a squirrel came into contact with energized equipment at a State College power substation.
What to do if there’s a power outage
West Penn Power customers can report outages online or text “OUT” to 544487. Downed power lines should be reported by calling 1-888-544-4877.
If you experience an outage, keep these safety tips in mind until help arrives:
- Check circuits and fuses to make sure the power is out before reporting.
- Check with your neighbors to see if other homes in your area are affected.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers closed.
- Disconnect appliances and electronics.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 3:31 PM.
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