FirstEnergy Crews Preparing for Strong Winds on Friday; Offers Customers Tips to Prepare and Stay Safe

Rhea-AI Summary

FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) warned customers on March 12, 2026, that a severe windstorm may produce peak gusts of 50–75 mph in parts of its Ohio and Pennsylvania service areas and 35–60 mph gusts in other territories.

The company has activated its incident command structure, mobilized internal and contractor crews, forestry and damage-assessment teams, and outlined restoration priorities and customer outage-reporting steps.

Positive

• Incident command activated for around-the-clock coordination
• Pre-staged crews and contractors including forestry and assessors
• 24,000 miles of transmission lines in system (operational scale)

Negative

• Forecasted winds of 50–75 mph in parts of the service area
• Crew safety limits: no bucket trucks above 40 mph, slowing restorations
• Fallen trees and blocked roads may delay response

Key Figures

Peak wind range (OH/PA): 50-75 mph Peak gusts (other areas): 35-60 mph Bucket truck wind limit: 40 mph +5 more

8 metrics

Peak wind range (OH/PA) 50-75 mph Forecast severe conditions for Ohio and Pennsylvania service areas

Peak gusts (other areas) 35-60 mph Forecast gusts for Met‑Ed, Penelec, Mon Power, Potomac Edison, JCP&L

Bucket truck wind limit 40 mph Crews cannot safely use bucket trucks above this wind speed

Customers served 6 million Customers served across six U.S. states

Transmission lines 24,000 miles Approximate length of transmission lines operated by subsidiaries

Share price $50.82 Price prior to storm-preparation announcement

52-week high $51.435 Level just above current price

CFO share sale 26,800 shares at $50.943 Open-market sale reported on March 10, 2026 Form 4

Market Reality Check

Price: $51.16 Vol: Volume 3,212,374 is at 0....

low vol

$51.16 Last Close

Volume Volume 3,212,374 is at 0.68x the 20-day average (4,709,351). low

Technical Price $50.82 is trading above the 200-day MA at $44.75 and near the 52-week high of $51.44.

Peers on Argus

FE gained 0.34% while peers were mixed: AEE +0.61%, PPL +1.12%, WEC +1.48% versu...

FE gained 0.34% while peers were mixed: AEE +0.61%, PPL +1.12%, WEC +1.48% versus ES -1.04% and EIX -0.04%, suggesting stock-specific rather than broad sector momentum.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Mar 02 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Mar 02	Transmission awards	Positive	-0.3%	PJM selects FE for Ohio and Pennsylvania reliability projects with major investment.
Feb 26	Leadership appointment	Positive	+0.0%	New VP Transmission Finance named to oversee finance and regulatory work.
Feb 25	Community grant	Positive	+0.0%	FirstEnergy Foundation provides $10,000 grant for first responder training gear.
Feb 19	Grid upgrade	Positive	+1.3%	Van Reed 69‑kV project to improve reliability for 6,000+ Berks County customers.
Feb 18	Substation project	Positive	-0.8%	New $6.6M Potomac Edison substation enhancing reliability for 2,400 customers.

Pattern Detected

Recent infrastructure and corporate news has mostly seen modest, mixed price reactions, with both positive and negative moves following generally positive operational updates.

Recent Company History

Over the last month, FirstEnergy has focused news flow on grid investments and corporate developments. On Feb 18 and Feb 19, it highlighted new substations and a $30 million Berks County project supporting more than 6,000 customers, with mixed price reactions. A $950 million PJM-awarded transmission investment was announced on Mar 2, followed by slight share weakness. Leadership changes and community grants had flat impacts. Today’s storm-preparation update fits a pattern of operational reliability communications without major price dislocations.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement details FirstEnergy’s preparations for forecast winds of 50–75 mph in parts of its...

Analysis

This announcement details FirstEnergy’s preparations for forecast winds of 50–75 mph in parts of its territory, including activation of an incident command structure and coordination with contractors. It emphasizes restoration procedures and customer safety steps rather than new financial or regulatory developments. In context of recent grid investment news and insider activity, investors may watch for any follow-up disclosures on outage extent, restoration costs, and system reliability metrics after the storm event.

Key Terms

transmission lines, incident command structure

2 terms

transmission lines technical

"The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines"

High-voltage towers and cables that carry electricity from power plants to cities and substations, like highways that move energy rather than cars. For investors, transmission lines are long-lived, capital-intensive assets whose condition, capacity and regulatory treatment affect utility revenues, reliability and the ability to connect new generation; bottlenecks or upgrades can change costs, permit timelines and future returns.

incident command structure technical

"we've activated our around-the-clock incident command structure so teams across our service area"

A structured, pre-defined way to organize people, roles and communication during an emergency or major disruption so decisions get made quickly and work is coordinated. Think of it as a temporary command center with clear job titles and reporting lines—like a sports coach and captains directing play—to limit chaos, restore operations and control costs. Investors care because a strong incident command structure reduces downtime, legal and regulatory risk, and financial loss when crises occur.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

AKRON, Ohio, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With a severe windstorm expected to move through FirstEnergy's service area beginning early Friday and into early Saturday, the company is ready to respond to any outages and reminds customers to take steps now to stay safe in case of potential outages.

FirstEnergy is closely monitoring expected winds that could bring down trees and blow branches and debris into power lines. Based on current forecasts, the strongest winds are expected Friday afternoon into early evening, with the most severe conditions impacting Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison in Ohio and West Penn Power and Penn Power in Pennsylvania, where winds could exceed 50-75 mph in some areas. Peak gusts ranging from 35-60 mph are also expected to impact Met‑Ed and Penelec in Pennsylvania, Mon Power and Potomac Edison in West Virginia and Maryland and Jersey Central Power & Light in New Jersey.

Strong winds can make it harder for crews to restore power and may slow restoration efforts. For safety reasons, crews cannot use bucket trucks when wind speeds are above 40 mph. Fallen trees and blocked roads can also delay crews as they travel to outage locations.

To help manage the weather safely and efficiently, we've activated our around-the-clock incident command structure so teams across our service area can coordinate restoration work, equipment needs and field support as conditions change.

We're also in close contact with other utilities and outside contractors and bringing in additional support ahead of the winds in many areas as well as mobilizing internal FirstEnergy and contractor crews, forestry personnel, damage assessors, hazard responders and other support workers. This ensures we have the people and resources needed to respond as soon as outages occur.

How We Restore Power After a Storm

FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process to restore service as quickly and safely as possible:

1. Clear hazards – like downed power lines, trees and blocked roads
2. Repair high-voltage lines that provide electricity to local lines
3. Restore power to critical public service facilities
4. Address outages affecting the most customers
5. Fix localized issues and restore power to individual customers

Customer Safety and Preparedness Tips

Customers can take simple actions to prepare and stay safe if an outage does happen:

• Secure loose outdoor items including garbage cans, furniture and trampolines
• Charge phones and essential devices
• Keep flashlights, batteries and a radio ready
• Store water if you rely on a well pump
• Have no‑cook foods on hand
• Stay 30 feet away from downed power lines – call 911 immediately
• Steer clear of trees and utility poles in high winds

How to Report an Outage

If you lose power during the storm, report your outage by:

• Calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877)
• Texting OUT to LIGHTS (544487)
• Clicking the "Outages" link on firstenergycorp.com

Get Outage Updates

• Text REG to 544487 to sign up for outage text alerts. Once signed up, text STAT to 544487 to get the latest update for your home.
• Log into your online account.
• View our outage map at firstenergycorp.com/outages.

FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on X: @FirstEnergyCorp.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

FAQ

How does FirstEnergy (FE) expect the March 12–13, 2026 windstorm to affect service?

The storm may cause outages where winds reach 50–75 mph, especially in Ohio and Pennsylvania. According to the company, strongest winds are expected Friday afternoon into early evening, increasing risk of downed lines, fallen trees and localized outages.

What restoration steps will FirstEnergy (FE) use after the March 2026 windstorm?

FirstEnergy follows a staged restoration process prioritizing safety and critical facilities first. According to the company, crews clear hazards, repair high-voltage lines, restore service to critical sites, then address largest-customer outages and localized repairs.

How can FE customers report outages during the March 12, 2026 wind event?

Customers can report outages by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS, texting OUT to 544487, or using the outages link on firstenergycorp.com. According to the company, texting REG to 544487 signs customers up for outage alerts and STAT returns status updates.

Why might FirstEnergy (FE) restoration be slower during winds above 40 mph?

Crews cannot operate bucket trucks when winds exceed 40 mph, limiting restoration methods. According to the company, high winds also increase hazards and obstruct roads, which can delay travel to outage sites and safe repairs.

Which FirstEnergy (FE) service territories face the highest wind risk on March 12–13, 2026?

The most severe conditions are expected in Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison in Ohio, and West Penn Power and Penn Power in Pennsylvania. According to the company, those areas may see winds exceeding 50–75 mph.