Appalachian Power Crews Progress in McDowell County Despite Ice, Wind, Downed Trees

Appalachian Power told customers it aimed to restore service by around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, after an ice storm knocked out power for thousands across central and southern West Virginia. The company said more than 40,000 customers lost service at the storm’s peak, and crews restored roughly 25,000 customers since the morning of Sunday, January 25.

By the morning of January 26, Appalachian Power reported more than 17,000 customers without power. The company said the count had fallen below 4,000 by Tuesday afternoon as crews pushed through ice, wind and fallen trees. Appalachian Power also reported about 3,900 linemen focused on restoration, supplemented by thousands of contractors and mutual-assistance crews mobilized from other states.

Damage was widespread in the hardest-hit areas and included broken poles, downed wires, damaged equipment, and utility lines coated with ice. Officials described extensive infrastructure damage from populated pockets to outlying hollows, citing examples from South Hills in Charleston to Julian in Boone County. Dangerous road conditions, deep snow and strong winds slowed access to some locations and forced multiple crews to work together to reach downed lines and damaged equipment safely.

For McDowell County residents, the storm’s regional impact means staying alert even if local outage counts fluctuate. Appalachian Power’s recovery timeline and the company’s large lineman deployment indicate concentrated efforts in central and southern West Virginia, including Kanawha and Lincoln counties, and in Virginia counties where crews were also working. Residents should use the local outage maps and weather pages to track progress and to plan around icy roads and frigid temperatures; forecasters warned that snow showers and frigid nights persisted after the storm and that "extreme cold is the immediate danger following the major storm."

Public safety guidance remains central to the restoration effort. Do not touch downed power lines or anything in contact with them; report hazards by calling 911 or Appalachian Power at 800-956-4237. Customers were also urged to guard against scams: ask for company photo ID, verify workers’ phone numbers on your bill or the utility website, refuse unsolicited repairs, and remember that "Appalachian Power will not ask for payment or entry."

What this means locally is pragmatic: restoration is advancing but pockets of damage and hazardous travel conditions can delay final repairs. McDowell County residents should keep phones charged, use the outage map to check their status, heed cold-weather precautions, and report any electrical hazards immediately. Expect utility crews to continue working in difficult conditions through the final restorations and monitor official updates for the most current timeline.