Snakes are to blame for 3 recent NC power outages, Duke Energy says
North Carolinians are used to strong storms or hurricanes knocking out power, but wildlife can cause outages, too.
It was snakes, in fact, that were responsible for outages affecting thousands of Duke Energy customers across central and eastern North Carolina in the past week, the utility provider told The News & Observer in an email.
In three instances since Monday, May 5, a snake came into contact with equipment in a substation, Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks told The N&O in an email. Duke Energy crews can often identify remains of an animal near the equipment in the case of an animal-related outage.
“When the contact was made, safety systems in the substation activated resulting in the power outages for customers,” Brooks said.
Snakes may enter a substation looking for food, or they may be trying to escape rising storm waters or warm up, Brooks said.
Often, snakes or other animals make contact with the equipment while touching the ground or another contact point, which closes the circuit and activates a safety shutoff. That shutoff is meant to protect the equipment and prevent a longer outage.
Power outages in Durham, Rolesville and Goldsboro
- The first outage affected about 9,900 customers in Durham the evening of Monday, May 5.
- The second affected about 7,000 Rolesville customers the evening of Thursday, May 8.
- The third affected about 7,000 Goldsboro customers on Sunday, May 11.
How often do snakes cause power outages?
In the Carolinas, snakes and other animals are responsible for about 3% of customer power outages each year, affecting an average of 168,000 customers annually, Brooks said.
Snakes are more active as the weather warms, and animal-related outages — often caused by snakes and squirrels — tend to increase from spring to fall.
Duke Energy has been making grid improvements, including physical protections, to keep animals like squirrels and snakes out of substations and other equipment, Brooks said.
How to report a power outage
Duke Energy customers can report an electrical outage by:
- Texting “OUT” to 57801
- Reporting the outage online at duke-energy.com
- Calling 800-POWER-ON (800-769-3766)
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Snakes are to blame for 3 recent NC power outages, Duke Energy says."
