More than 20,000 homes without power: the strange culprit is a snake

In a string of bizarre power outages across North Carolina, more than 20,000 people were plunged into darkness—and it wasn’t due to extreme weather, falling trees, or even human error.

It was snakes.

Yes, you read that right. According to Duke Energy, one of the largest utility providers in the United States, a series of blackouts over just six days were caused by serpents slithering into sensitive electrical equipment.

The most recent incident, affecting over 5,000 homes in Wayne County, left thousands without power after a snake made contact with a substation, triggering an automatic shutdown. Just days earlier, in the nearby towns of Rolesville and Durham, another 17,000 people experienced outages for the same jaw-dropping reason.

Why are snakes knocking out the power grid?

Snakes are surprisingly frequent visitors to power facilities, especially during spring and summer. After heavy rain or while searching for warmth and food, they tend to crawl into substations and transformers—some even scaling walls or poles.

And when they touch the wrong components while still grounded, they complete an electrical circuit. That instantly sets off safety protocols designed to protect equipment from overloads or fire, shutting everything down in the process.

“When the snake enters the substation, it will often make contact with the equipment while still touching the ground or some other contact that essentially closes the circuit which activates the safety shutoff on the equipment,” a Duke Energy spokesperson told Newsweek. “The shutoff is designed to protect the equipment and prevent a longer outage, if possible.”

A hidden threat in the Southeast

While it may sound like a freak occurrence, animal-related power outages are more common than most people realize. In the southeastern U.S. alone, wildlife causes about 3% of all electrical outages annually, impacting over 160,000 customers each year. And snakes—agile, heat-seeking, and drawn to humming equipment—are among the most notorious offenders.

These types of incidents spike in the warmer months and aren’t limited to North Carolina. States like Florida, Georgia, and even Colorado have reported similar issues in recent years, all stemming from unexpected encounters between wildlife and modern infrastructure.

Can anything be done?

Energy companies are increasingly working to “snake-proof” critical components, using barriers, mesh coverings, and elevated platforms to keep wildlife at bay. But the balance between nature and technology remains a delicate one—especially as expanding suburbs push more animals into contact with human-made systems.

For now, experts recommend patience—and possibly a flashlight.

Because the next time your lights flicker out unexpectedly, it may not be a storm or a blown fuse. It might just be a cold-blooded visitor with a knack for chaos.

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