Could the Myrtle Beach area lose power in the winter storm? Here’s what to know

Wintry weather, dangerously low temperatures and hazardous conditions are headed for the Grand Strand. With freezing and precipitation expected later this week, electric providers are bracing for possible service issues

“There could be outages, so we are planning for that,” said Santee Cooper spokesperson Tracy Vreeland.

Power outages caused by winter weather have struck the Myrtle Beach area in the past.

In 2014, around 80,000 Santee Cooper customers experienced outages in Winter Storm Pax, Vreeland said. With Winter Storm Jasper in 2022, Horry Electric Cooperative spokesperson Jennifer Cummings said members saw scattered outages across Horry County.

How is your electric provider preparing?

As predictions call for extreme weather, some electric providers have already taken steps to prepare.

“We are bringing in additional mutual aid crews, both for our distribution crews and for our tree trimming crews,” Vreeland said. “We are all hands on deck. Unfortunately, we have a lot of practice with hurricanes, so we use a very similar plan, and we are ready to be fully staffed Friday night.”

Santee Cooper doesn’t expect the storm to cause outages with demand overload, but complications from ice and fallen tree limbs could disrupt power. According to Vreeland, crews are ready to remove obstacles and restore power.

Dominion Energy announced Wednesday that its Emergency Operations Center is active and staging crews and equipment across South Carolina in preparation for the inclement weather.

“We’re closely monitoring the forecast calling for a mix of wintry precipitation, and that kind of weather can create significant challenges for our crews,” Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam said in a statement.

Although Horry Electric Cooperative is monitoring weather forecasts, it’s still continuing standard operations.

“As of right now, we’re just monitoring,” said Cummings, the Horry Electric Cooperative spokesperson. “So we’re continuing with daily operations, and as the storm moves closer, we’ll continue to monitor and make those decisions as we know more.”

Will peak hour charges be impacted?

Both Horry Electric and Santee Cooper confirmed that peak hour rate structures will remain through the Grand Strand’s winter weather. With colder temperatures, some customers will see more expensive electric bills.

“We are seeing some cases of high bills that we have during any other January,” Vreeland said. “During the cold your heating is working a lot harder to keep your house warm, because there’s a larger gap in temperature from the outside to the inside, so that tends to cause higher bills this time of year, especially with extreme cold temperatures.”

Waiting to use other appliances until after peak hours can help limit electricity usage while homes heat. Customers can also plan their heat usage around the peak hour period.

“It’s a great opportunity to preheat your home before peak hours, and then, if you want to drop your thermostat just a couple degrees during those peak hours … that’s an option as well,” said Cummings.

Monitoring and reporting power outages

Ahead of the storm, there’s no way to predict how long outages will last if households lose power.

“Our goal is always to get everybody on as quickly and as safely as possible. If crews can be out there working, they’ll be out there working during the storm,” Vreeland said. “So we can’t say somebody will be out for two days, where one person might be out for an hour. It just depends on where the outages are and how bad they are.”

Households that lose power can report and monitor outages through their electric provider. However, it’s critical for customers to stay away from downed power lines and trees, which could be energized and extremely dangerous.

Dominion Energy customers can report an outage and check their status online at account.dominionenergysc.com/outage. Customers can also report outages and downed power lines by phone at 888-333-4465.

A current map of Dominion Energy outages is available at outagemap.dominionenergysc.com. Customers with a mobile number connected with their account will also receive outage text notifications for restoration time estimates and confirmations.

Horry Electric Cooperative members have four ways to report outages. They can call 843-369-2212, text MYOUTAGE to 844-369-2767 on a mobile number registered with their account, report it online at horryelectric.com/outage-center or use the free mobile app. Members can also view outages online at outages.horryelectric.com.

Santee Cooper installed smart meters for residential customers, so the company should know if customers lose power, Vreeland said. Customers who want to report an outage can call 888-769-7688 or go to santeecooper.com/storm-center-outages to make a report, check an outage and see an up-to-date outage map.

This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 5:00 AM.