Today’s Power Outage in Victoria: Check the Latest Map

If you’re in Melbourne, Richmond, or Preston today, you might’ve already felt the sudden darkness.There are at least three areas experiencing power outages tonight, with the most severe one affecting about 500 households and not expected to be restored until 2 a.m. Power outages are common, but they’re never “easy” to deal with. But if you know the causes of power outages in Victoria, you can get timely info and know the right way to respond, so you can deal with them easily.

If you want to see which areas are currently experiencing power outages, you can use the following official resources:

• Outage Tracker: This practical real-time platform allows you to search for information on sudden power outages across Victoria by location, event number, or National Metering Index (NMI). It is suitable for those who want to find out if their area is affected quickly.
• AusNet Services: As one of Victoria’s major electricity distributors, AusNet provides detailed updates on unplanned power outages, including the cause, scope of impact, and estimated recovery time. You can enter your address on the website’s map to get the most relevant outage information for your area.
• CitiPower & Powercor: These two electricity suppliers provide real-time outage maps and complete lists for users in Melbourne and surrounding areas. The maps and lists show every power interruption. You can filter and browse the maps and lists, which is pretty intuitive.

Understanding the Causes of Power Outages in Victoria

Ever wonder why Victoria suddenly lost power? It wasn’t an accident. There’s a reason. Here are the most common power outage causes, from natural disasters to human accidents. Each of these can leave your home in the dark.

Natural Disasters

Severe weather is one of the main reasons we get power outages in Victoria. Storms, lightning, heat waves, floods, strong winds, and wildfires can affect the power system. Strong winds can knock down power lines, and lightning-hitting transformers can cause power surges that can burn equipment. Wildfires don’t just directly engulf power grid facilities, either. Power companies proactively cut off power in high-risk areas for safety reasons to prevent the spread of fires. In the summer of 2023, power outages due to wildfires occurred in many parts of Victoria for several consecutive days, and the recovery time in some remote areas was as long as five days or more.

Infrastructure and Equipment Failures

Power systems aren’t invincible. Old cables and outdated substation equipment are more likely to “go on strike” when under high load. Common faults include transformer explosions, underground cable shorts, and switch station failures. These problems may occur locally or trigger a chain reaction, affecting the power supply of the entire area. It’s common for the power grid to “be overwhelmed” during peak power consumption.

Accidents and Human Activities

Power outages don’t just happen because of natural disasters. Little mistakes in our day-to-day lives can also cause big problems, like a car hitting a power pole, construction digging up underground cables, people digging up power lines without telling anyone, or even someone stealing copper wires on purpose. Most of the time, these problems happen out of the blue. How long it takes to get the power back depends on how bad the accident is and how well the repairs are done.

Fallen Trees

When there is a lot of wind, trees often fall. This is dangerous because the branches and trunk of a tree can hit power lines. This can cause the lines to break, cause short circuits, or even start fires. Even if a tree does not fall, branches that are too close to power lines and have not been trimmed for a long time can also cause problems.

Squirrels

It might sound like a joke, but these little animals are the “invisible saboteurs” of the power grid. In some areas, squirrels, opossums, and birds can enter substations or climb onto transformers. This can accidentally cause short circuits or system failures. Although less common in urban centres, these “animal faults” often occur in suburban and rural areas. An accident can cause power outages for the entire community for several hours.

Steps to Get Ready for Victoria Power Outages?

Prepare an Emergency Kit

A well-stocked emergency kit can help you deal with a power outage. Please keep it where you can find it easily, like a closet in the front hall. Here are some essential items to include in your emergency kit:

• Flashlight + extra batteries
• Radio that needs batteries or can be powered by hand (to hear the news)
• Mobile phone charger
• First aid kit, essential medicines
• Bottled water (enough for at least 3 days)
• Cans and dried food + manual can opener.
• Blankets, warm clothing
• Copies of essential documents (e.g. health insurance card, ID card, etc.)

Plan for Essential Needs

Follow these steps to prepare for power outages. Whether the outage is short or long, you won’t be afraid.

• Charge your mobile phone, tablet, radio, and other devices in advance.
• Store perishable food in an insulated box and ice packs, and open the refrigerator less often to extend its cooling time.
• Get a power station like the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 Portable Power Station. This can provide continuous power for hours or even days to the home’s refrigerator, Wi-Fi router, and lights.
• If any family members rely on medical equipment that requires electricity, consider investing in a home backup generator to provide power to the equipment during a power outage. This can prevent accidents caused by power outages.

Protect Your Home and Appliances

Power outages are usually harmless, but if you don’t have protection, the second the power goes back on, it could cause unexpected damage. So, be careful and protect your home.

• Protect your electronics with surge protectors to prevent damage when the power returns.
• Set the fridge and freezer to the lowest temperature to make them last longer.
• Unplug big appliances like TVs, computers, and microwaves after a power outage to prevent surge damage when the power comes back on.
• Before a storm, check the balcony and yard and secure loose outdoor items to prevent them from being blown away or damaging power facilities.

What not to do when the power goes out?

Power outages can cause people to panic, leading to mistakes. However, many of these “subconscious actions” can be hidden safety hazards. Avoid these six things to stay safe during a power outage and minimize damage!

Don’t Keep the Fridge and Freezer Open

Whenever you open the door, a lot of cold air gets out. If you keep opening and closing it often, it’ll wear out your food faster. You can put things you use a lot together to save time searching. Important food should be placed in an ice bucket or cooler first.

Don’t Use Candles as a Primary Light Source

Candlelight can create a romantic atmosphere, but it’s more dangerous when the power’s out. If you knock it over, it could start a fire, which is especially risky if you have pets or kids or live in a small space. Use a flashlight, USB lamp, or rechargeable lantern for a steady, safe light source.

Don’t Operate Generators Indoors

Petrol or diesel generators can release dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. This can lead to poisoning or even death if the generator is used in a small space without proper ventilation. To keep things safe, run the generator in an open area, away from doors, windows, and vents, to ensure good air circulation.

Don’t Use a Gas Stove or Oven for Heat

Don’t turn your kitchen into a greenhouse. That’s a bad idea. Gas appliances can catch fire in a small space and release carbon monoxide, which is dangerous.

Don’t Leave Electronics Plugged In

Voltage fluctuations or surges can happen when the power goes back on, and that’s usually enough to fry sensitive equipment like computers and TVs. Unplug appliances as soon as the power goes out. Wait until the power is stable before turning on each one.

Don’t Waste Battery Power

Mobile phones, torches, and radios can save you when needed. But be careful—unnecessary video streaming, torch use, and playing games can leave you disconnected when you need to get in touch. You can help your battery last longer by dimming the screen, closing background apps, and only enabling essential notifications.

How Long Does a Power Outage Last?

Every time there’s a power outage, you can’t help but wonder, “How long will it be until the power’s back on?” Well, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a rundown of the most common scenarios and causes based on power outage duration so you can get a good idea of what’s happening and respond quickly.

• A few minutes to 1 hour: Minor outages caused by tripped circuits, local equipment failure, or quick maintenance.
• 1 to 6 hours: Storm-related damage (fallen trees, lightning) or grid overload.
• 6 to 24 hours: Severe storms, widespread damage, or utility infrastructure issues.
• Several days: Natural disasters (like bushfires, floods, or hurricanes) or large-scale grid failures.

Conclusion

Preparation is key to keeping your cool in a crisis. If you’ve just experienced a power outage or are alarmed by the news, there’s never too late to start preparing for power outages. You can’t predict when next power outage in Victoria will happen. Still, you can decide whether to invest in a high-capacity power station or solar generator to power the entire home system during an extended power outage and prevent it from messing with your life.

FAQs

How can I keep my food fresh during a power outage?

To keep food fresh during a power outage, minimise the number of times you open the refrigerator and freezer doors to preserve the cold air. Move perishable items to the freezer and use ice packs or coolers if the power outage is expected to be extended. Alternatively, cover the food with an insulating blanket. Follow the 2-hour/4-hour rule and discard food above 5°C for over 4 hours.

Why is my area not listed on the outage map?

If your area isn’t shown on the outage map, there are a few things that might be the reason why:

• It’s possible that the power company hasn’t been informed about the outage in your area yet, so the map hasn’t been updated in time.
• There could be a delay in the map information, so it might not show the latest outage status immediately.
• Maybe planneisaintenance or upgrades are happening in your area, and it hasn’t been marked as an outage area yet.
• The outage affects only a small number of users and doesn’t meet the criteria for being shown on the map.

Where can I get updates on power outages?

You can get all the info you need about power outages through the power company’s outage tracking system and government websites. For example, AusNet Services, CitiPower & Powercor and United Energy have outage maps and updates that are provided in real-time, so you can rest assured that you have the latest information.