The Blizzard of 2026

On Friday, Feb. 20, the National Weather Service issued a forecast predicting 3 to 6 inches of snow across Delaware Electric Cooperative’s service territory — the kind of storm that would have little impact on the Co-op’s power lines and equipment. DEC employees went to sleep that evening expecting only a minor weather event.
 

The reality they awoke to on Saturday morning was very different. The National Weather Service announced the storm would track closer to the coast — a worst-case scenario for Delaware. By 7 a.m. Feb. 21, Kent and Sussex counties were under a blizzard warning, with 12 to 24 inches of heavy, wet snow expected.
 

The Co-op team immediately sprang into action. They stocked bucket trucks and the warehouse with supplies. They secured adequate fuel for trucks and communicated the possibility of extended outages to members. If the forecast held, the storm was certain to be historic.
 

As heavy snow and high winds quickly spread across the area on Sunday, Feb. 22, it became clear the blizzard would cause significant damage to DEC’s electrical distribution system. With temperatures hovering right around freezing, the snow stuck to everything, especially trees and power lines. Early Monday morning, Feb. 23, DEC Operations Manager Stephen Hearn pulled crews from the field.
  

“Blinding snow, 50 mph winds and impassable roads were making working conditions too dangerous for our lineworkers. The weight of the snow was causing trees to fall all around them. The safety of our crews and members is our first priority, and we had no choice but to bring them back in,” Hearn says.
  

By 6 a.m. on Monday, over 61,000 members were without power — roughly half of the homes served by DEC. More than 70 poles had broken across Kent and Sussex counties, hundreds of trees had fallen onto power lines and many roads remained impassable.
  

“We knew on Monday morning that restoring power was going to take days and that this would be the worst storm to impact our Co-op since the ice storm of 1994. We also knew we would need help from our friends at neighboring utilities,” says Co-op President and CEO Rob Book.
  

DEC’s entire workforce, along with local contractors, municipal utility crews and tree-trimming crews, were joined by lineworkers from neighboring electric cooperatives in Virginia. The massive mobilization was the largest in DEC’s history, and the effort to coordinate the storm response and restoration was unprecedented.
  

Call center representatives, lineworkers, engineers, dispatchers and many others worked 16-hour shifts, slept on the floor of DEC’s headquarters and did everything possible to safely restore power to members. Four days after snow stopped falling across Delaware, power had been restored to every DEC-served home — a feat that required teamwork and tireless dedication.
  

“I’m so proud of our employees for their work during the blizzard, grateful to all the crews who answered our call for help and thankful to the members who were so understanding during this terrible storm,” Book says. “I’m also grateful to our engineers and operations team, who have spent years hardening the system and installing advanced equipment. Their efforts reduced the number and duration of outages. We're all hoping for a mild winter in 2027.”