Top 8 Metrics That Define a Utility’s Storm Readiness Score

November 4, 2025
4 min read

Imagine this: A Category 4 hurricane barrels toward the Gulf Coast. Winds howl at 140 mph, flooding streets and snapping power lines like twigs. In the chaos, your utility’s storm response isn’t just about flipping switches; it’s about restoring light to hospitals, homes, and businesses before lives are put at risk.

If you miss a single key metric, you’re not just battling outages. You’re facing regulatory fines, customer outrage, and multimillion-dollar recovery costs.

In 2024 alone, the U.S. faced 27 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. It’s a record-breaking year that pushed the power grid to its limits.  

But here’s some good news. Tracking the right storm readiness metrics can turn chaos into control. These eight battle-tested indicators drawn from NERC, DOE, and FEMA frameworks define how ready your utility truly is.  

Whether you’re benchmarking performance, preparing for regulatory audits, or building a proactive grid-resilience plan, these are the numbers that matter. And these are the metrics that you shouldn't be missing at any cost!  

What Are Storm Readiness Metrics?

Storm readiness metrics are data-driven indicators utilities use to measure how prepared they are to withstand, respond to, and recover from severe weather events. These metrics combine operational performance, asset health, and grid reliability to help utilities act before outages escalate.

Top 8 Metrics That Define a Utility’s Storm Readiness Score

Metrics for utility storm readiness

1. SAIDI – The Outage Endurance Test

System Average Interruption Duration Index

What it measures:  

The average total duration of power interruptions per customer each year (in minutes).

Why it matters:  

This metric reflects how long customers remain without power. Extended outages during severe weather don’t just disrupt daily life, they can quickly escalate into safety and public health emergencies.

  • Benchmark: U.S. utilities average 100–150 minutes annually (excluding major events), but storm-adjusted figures can exceed 500+ minutes.
  • Improvement Tip: Keep SAIDI under 100 minutes by using AI-driven predictive maintenance to identify weak feeders before storms hit.

2. SAIFI – Frequency of the Fail

System Average Interruption Frequency Index

What it measures:  

How often the average customer experiences an outage in a year.


Why it matters:  

Every outage counts. Frequent interruptions expose weak points in your distribution system.

  • Benchmark: In 2024, average SAIFI hovered between 1.0 and 1.5, but storm-heavy regions spiked to 2.5+.
  • Improvement Tip: Aim for < 1.0 annually. Drone and LiDAR patrols before storm season identify ~ 80% of at-risk assets early, cutting interruptions significantly.

3. CAIDI – Speed of the Save

Customer Average Interruption Duration Index

What it measures:  

The average time to restore service per outage.


Why it matters:  

Every extra hour multiplies costs and customer frustration.

  • Benchmark: Elite utilities restore within < 90 minutes, while laggards after events like Winter Storm Elliott took 200+ minutes.  
  • Improvement Tip: Use GIS-based prioritization to restore high-impact feeders first, cutting restoration times by up to 50%.

4. CEMI – The Repeat Outage Score

Customer Estimated Minutes of Interruption

What it measures:  

The average duration a customer experiences a power outage during major events.


Why it matters:  

Offers a granular, customer-focused view of storm impact and storm preparedness assessment. Regulators and stakeholders increasingly demand this metric for transparency and post-storm analysis.

  • Benchmark: Utilities using predictive outage models and AI-driven crew deployment report 20–30% lower CEMI during severe storms.  
  • Improvement Tip: Reduce CEMI by prioritizing critical customers and deploying crews in real time via KYRO AI dashboards.

5. Restoration Time – From Blackout to Bright

What it measures:  

Time to restore 95% of customers' post-events.

Why it matters:  

Delayed restoration disrupts critical services. From refrigerated meds to emergency communication networks.

  • Benchmark: Average restoration after major storms now sits around 3.8 days.  
  • Improvement Tip: Target < 48 hours for 90% restoration. Use KYRO AI’s coordination and crew-matching features to speed deployment 2x faster.

6. Vegetation Management Effectiveness Score

What it measures:  

How effectively you manage vegetation near lines, often measured via clearance compliance or reduction in tree-related outages.


Why it matters:  

Overgrown trees cause 25% of storm-related outages, but proactive trimming prevents 60% of failures.  

  • Benchmark: 95% clearance compliance equals 30% fewer weather-related outages.
  • Improvement Tip: Integrate LiDAR and AI-optimized trimming cycles to reduce costs and improve reliability.

7. Asset Condition Index (ACI) – Health Check for the Grid

What it measures:  

Infrastructure health scored from 1–10 based on age, inspections, and failure history. This is a grid reliability metrics that helps assess the structures.  


Why it matters:  

Old assets fail first in storms, doubling repair costs.

  • Benchmark: Utilities with ACI > 7 experience 25% fewer failures.  
  • Improvement Tip: Use IoT sensors to maintain an average ACI > 6.5, extending asset life by up to 20%.

8. NEUE – The Big-Picture Risk Radar

Normalized Expected Unserved Energy

What it measures:  

Projected energy shortfall (MWh) under extreme-event scenarios.


Why it matters:  

Shows how exposed your utility is when storms overload supply or distribution.

  • Benchmark: NERC targets < 10 ppm; Western utilities faced 15 ppm in 2025 due to wildfires and drought (NERC LTRA 2025).
  • Improvement Tip: Use scenario modeling with FEMA’s National Risk Index to reduce projected losses by 40%.

Putting It All Together

These eight metrics don’t exist in silos. They are the core of your system and form your utility’s storm-readiness DNA.  Low SAIDI but high NEUE? You’re fast but fragile. Strong ACI but weak CEMI? You’re sturdy but impacting customers. That’s how it works!  

How KYRO AI Turns Metrics into Real-Time Readiness

  • Instant Crew Notifications:  

SMS alerts go directly to field crews when a storm event triggers. You can see when each crew accepts, declines, or confirms readiness.  

  • Smart Onboarding Forms:  

Digital forms simplify contractor onboarding, automatically verifying crew details, equipment lists, and certifications before storms hit.

  • AI-Driven Assignment:  

KYRO AI’s platform matches the right crews to the right zones based on skill, proximity, and availability, cutting roster-building time significantly.  

  • Live Dashboards:  

All seven-readiness metrics, right from mobilization, restoration, vegetation compliance, and more, are displayed in one unified view for faster, data-backed decision making.  

As storms begin to form, KYRO AI gives utilities the clarity to act early, not react after conditions worsen.

Ready to Benchmark Your Storm Readiness?

Every storm is a test. Every minute counts. Start scoring your readiness today, before the next outage strikes.

Explore KYRO Storm Response to measure, predict, and improve your utility’s storm resilience with real-time AI insights.

Top 8 Metrics That Define a Utility’s Storm Readiness Score

November 4, 2025
4 min read

Imagine this: A Category 4 hurricane barrels toward the Gulf Coast. Winds howl at 140 mph, flooding streets and snapping power lines like twigs. In the chaos, your utility’s storm response isn’t just about flipping switches; it’s about restoring light to hospitals, homes, and businesses before lives are put at risk.

If you miss a single key metric, you’re not just battling outages. You’re facing regulatory fines, customer outrage, and multimillion-dollar recovery costs.

In 2024 alone, the U.S. faced 27 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. It’s a record-breaking year that pushed the power grid to its limits.  

But here’s some good news. Tracking the right storm readiness metrics can turn chaos into control. These eight battle-tested indicators drawn from NERC, DOE, and FEMA frameworks define how ready your utility truly is.  

Whether you’re benchmarking performance, preparing for regulatory audits, or building a proactive grid-resilience plan, these are the numbers that matter. And these are the metrics that you shouldn't be missing at any cost!  

What Are Storm Readiness Metrics?

Storm readiness metrics are data-driven indicators utilities use to measure how prepared they are to withstand, respond to, and recover from severe weather events. These metrics combine operational performance, asset health, and grid reliability to help utilities act before outages escalate.

Top 8 Metrics That Define a Utility’s Storm Readiness Score

Metrics for utility storm readiness

1. SAIDI – The Outage Endurance Test

System Average Interruption Duration Index

What it measures:  

The average total duration of power interruptions per customer each year (in minutes).

Why it matters:  

This metric reflects how long customers remain without power. Extended outages during severe weather don’t just disrupt daily life, they can quickly escalate into safety and public health emergencies.

  • Benchmark: U.S. utilities average 100–150 minutes annually (excluding major events), but storm-adjusted figures can exceed 500+ minutes.
  • Improvement Tip: Keep SAIDI under 100 minutes by using AI-driven predictive maintenance to identify weak feeders before storms hit.

2. SAIFI – Frequency of the Fail

System Average Interruption Frequency Index

What it measures:  

How often the average customer experiences an outage in a year.


Why it matters:  

Every outage counts. Frequent interruptions expose weak points in your distribution system.

  • Benchmark: In 2024, average SAIFI hovered between 1.0 and 1.5, but storm-heavy regions spiked to 2.5+.
  • Improvement Tip: Aim for < 1.0 annually. Drone and LiDAR patrols before storm season identify ~ 80% of at-risk assets early, cutting interruptions significantly.

3. CAIDI – Speed of the Save

Customer Average Interruption Duration Index

What it measures:  

The average time to restore service per outage.


Why it matters:  

Every extra hour multiplies costs and customer frustration.

  • Benchmark: Elite utilities restore within < 90 minutes, while laggards after events like Winter Storm Elliott took 200+ minutes.  
  • Improvement Tip: Use GIS-based prioritization to restore high-impact feeders first, cutting restoration times by up to 50%.

4. CEMI – The Repeat Outage Score

Customer Estimated Minutes of Interruption

What it measures:  

The average duration a customer experiences a power outage during major events.


Why it matters:  

Offers a granular, customer-focused view of storm impact and storm preparedness assessment. Regulators and stakeholders increasingly demand this metric for transparency and post-storm analysis.

  • Benchmark: Utilities using predictive outage models and AI-driven crew deployment report 20–30% lower CEMI during severe storms.  
  • Improvement Tip: Reduce CEMI by prioritizing critical customers and deploying crews in real time via KYRO AI dashboards.

5. Restoration Time – From Blackout to Bright

What it measures:  

Time to restore 95% of customers' post-events.

Why it matters:  

Delayed restoration disrupts critical services. From refrigerated meds to emergency communication networks.

  • Benchmark: Average restoration after major storms now sits around 3.8 days.  
  • Improvement Tip: Target < 48 hours for 90% restoration. Use KYRO AI’s coordination and crew-matching features to speed deployment 2x faster.

6. Vegetation Management Effectiveness Score

What it measures:  

How effectively you manage vegetation near lines, often measured via clearance compliance or reduction in tree-related outages.


Why it matters:  

Overgrown trees cause 25% of storm-related outages, but proactive trimming prevents 60% of failures.  

  • Benchmark: 95% clearance compliance equals 30% fewer weather-related outages.
  • Improvement Tip: Integrate LiDAR and AI-optimized trimming cycles to reduce costs and improve reliability.

7. Asset Condition Index (ACI) – Health Check for the Grid

What it measures:  

Infrastructure health scored from 1–10 based on age, inspections, and failure history. This is a grid reliability metrics that helps assess the structures.  


Why it matters:  

Old assets fail first in storms, doubling repair costs.

  • Benchmark: Utilities with ACI > 7 experience 25% fewer failures.  
  • Improvement Tip: Use IoT sensors to maintain an average ACI > 6.5, extending asset life by up to 20%.

8. NEUE – The Big-Picture Risk Radar

Normalized Expected Unserved Energy

What it measures:  

Projected energy shortfall (MWh) under extreme-event scenarios.


Why it matters:  

Shows how exposed your utility is when storms overload supply or distribution.

  • Benchmark: NERC targets < 10 ppm; Western utilities faced 15 ppm in 2025 due to wildfires and drought (NERC LTRA 2025).
  • Improvement Tip: Use scenario modeling with FEMA’s National Risk Index to reduce projected losses by 40%.

Putting It All Together

These eight metrics don’t exist in silos. They are the core of your system and form your utility’s storm-readiness DNA.  Low SAIDI but high NEUE? You’re fast but fragile. Strong ACI but weak CEMI? You’re sturdy but impacting customers. That’s how it works!  

How KYRO AI Turns Metrics into Real-Time Readiness

  • Instant Crew Notifications:  

SMS alerts go directly to field crews when a storm event triggers. You can see when each crew accepts, declines, or confirms readiness.  

  • Smart Onboarding Forms:  

Digital forms simplify contractor onboarding, automatically verifying crew details, equipment lists, and certifications before storms hit.

  • AI-Driven Assignment:  

KYRO AI’s platform matches the right crews to the right zones based on skill, proximity, and availability, cutting roster-building time significantly.  

  • Live Dashboards:  

All seven-readiness metrics, right from mobilization, restoration, vegetation compliance, and more, are displayed in one unified view for faster, data-backed decision making.  

As storms begin to form, KYRO AI gives utilities the clarity to act early, not react after conditions worsen.

Ready to Benchmark Your Storm Readiness?

Every storm is a test. Every minute counts. Start scoring your readiness today, before the next outage strikes.

Explore KYRO Storm Response to measure, predict, and improve your utility’s storm resilience with real-time AI insights.