Winter storm broke this record for Palmetto Electric

Thousands of Beaufort County residents cranked up the heat as temperatures plunged Wednesday and blanketed the area in ice and snow. That resulted in a record-breaking demand for power from Palmetto Electric customers.

The company — which serves Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties — set a record of 469 megawatts from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, spokesman Tray Hunter said.

The company’s previous record — 467 megawatts — was set January 7, 2014, he said.

Another power provider, SCE&G, did not immediately return a call for comment Friday morning on whether any records were broken.

The continued cold weather means power demand will remain high over the next few days. While the temperature rose to a high of 41 degrees at the Beaufort County airport Thursday afternoon, the temperature dropped down to 25 degrees later that evening, according to Neil Dixon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston.

High power loads can create a risk of power loss, though Hunter reported no outages in the tri-county area as of Friday morning.

About 2,000 Palmetto Electric customers lost power sometime during the storm, according to a company news release.

SCE&G reported no outages in Beaufort and Jasper counties, according to its outage map as of 1 p.m. Friday.

To report a power outage or check on when power will be restored to your area, contact SCE&G at (888) 333-4465 or Palmetto Electric at (866) 445-5551.

SCE&G customers can also set up their phone to report outages via text message, and can report them online and via mobile devices.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Winter storm broke this record for Palmetto Electric."