NOAA forecasts above-normal temperatures for June through August across the U.S. with below-normal precipitation for much of MISO this summer.    

MISO forecasts to have enough electricity supply to meet expected consumer demand under typical conditions. However, there is the potential for elevated risk during extreme weather.

This summer, peak demand could reach nearly 123 GW, with about 138 GW of regularly available generation expected across the MISO footprint.

Severe Weather Preparations

Preparing for the possibility of extreme weather impacting the grid is a year-round task. That's why MISO conducts coordinated seasonal assessments, workshops, and drills year-round. Examples include: 

• Seasonal Readiness Workshops to prepare for the upcoming season
• Grid operator drills to identify potential challenges and develop solutions
• Fuel availability surveys and assessments with our members to identify potential risks
• After-action event reviews for major events that impact the MISO grid
• Constant and consistent communications with members and neighbors

 When severe weather is forecasted for the MISO region, operators can issue informational advisories and weather alerts to prepare for changing grid conditions. Our operators coordinate daily with neighbors and members to discuss generation and fuel availability. When necessary, MISO issues notifications to member operators which consist of situational awareness messaging and/or specific instructions designed to maximize MISO's ability to operate the bulk electric system reliably during abnormal and emergency conditions. 

The electrical grid is an interconnected network designed to produce and deliver electricity to consumers. It consists of generating stations,  high voltage transmission lines that deliver electricity to sub-stations, and distribution lines that  deliver power to homes, schools and business.

MISO's Responsibilities 

MISO is a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) responsible for doing three things:

1. Managing the generation and transmission of electricity across high-voltage lines located within its region
2. Facilitating the buying and selling of electricity within its region
3. Planning the MISO region grid of tomorrow

MISO's role as a grid operator is similar to an air traffic controller. Air traffic controllers manage the movement of planes from point A to point B safely and reliably 24/7/365. They don't own the planes, they don't own the runways, they don't own the terminals. They simply manage themovement of planes.

Instead of planes, MISO operators manage the movement of  electricity from where it is generated, across the high-voltage lines, to your local utilities.  MISO does not own the generators, the transmission towers, or the transmission lines. Our members do.

MISO's responsibility is to ensure the right amount of electricity is generated and transmitted to our member utilities safely and reliably 24/7/365. It is the utilities responsibility to deliver the power to their customers.

Learn more about MISO and the Electric Industry on our Industry Foundations page.

The Grid Conditions gauge on the homepage shows current grid conditions based on available capacity (supply). Control room alerts, warnings, or event notifications relating to supply issues cause the needle to move. Green is normal grid conditions. Yellow represents alert and warning notifications. Orange and red represent Energy Emergency Alerts.   

MISO communicates and partners with its members every day to ensure power is flowing and the lights stay on. During abnormal conditions, such as severe weather impacting the grid, MISO operators may need to rely on a set of emergency procedures or "tools" to keep power flowing and protect the bulk electric system. Implementing emergency procedures enables operators to access resources not available under normal grid conditions. These resources include, but are not limited to, reserve and/or emergency generation, importing emergency power, and working with member utilities to reduce power usage. When electricity supply can longer meet demand, the only step available to avoid wide-spread outages, and to protect the system from long-term damage, is to temporarily interrupt power to consumers. This step, known in the electric industry as load shed, is a last resort option and is rarely used.

When it appears electricity supply will be "tight," MISO notifies member operators of what we are seeing, what we expect to see, and what actions operators need to take. MISO posts these notifications on its website at the bottom of the home page. They can also be viewed on the MISO app.

MISO’s emergency operating procedures establish requirements and instructions for members during supply and transmission shortages. Load shed is the last-resort action necessary to maintain grid reliability during system emergencies. MISO and its members play critical and distinct roles in executing load shed events. 

What is Load Shed, and Why Does it Matter? 

When the power goes out unexpectedly, one question comes to mind: Why? While many outages are caused by local issues—like downed power lines or equipment problems—some come from bigger challenges on the regional power grid.

One of the tools grid operators like MISO may use during a major emergency is called load shed. This means some electricity is temporarily turned off in specific areas to prevent much larger, longer-lasting outages. Load shed is an absolute last resort, only used when the stability of the grid—and power for millions—is at risk.

What is Load Shed and Why is it Necessary? 

Load shed helps prevent widespread blackouts and damage to the equipment that powers the electric grid. It’s used by all grid operators across the country and follows strict standards set by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

The electric grid must stay in balance. If supply and demand are not balanced, the system becomes unstable. That can cause automatic shutdowns of power plants and transmission lines—leading to major outages. Load shedding helps restore balance fast and protects the grid’s frequency, which must stay near 60 Hz.  

When Would MISO Shed Load? 

MISO may direct load shed during serious emergencies, including:

• Severe weather (like winter storms or hurricanes)
• Sudden power plant failures
• Transmission line damage or overloads
• High demand that outpaces available supply

MISO only uses load shed after all other steps have been tried. These may include bringing in extra generation, managing grid congestion, and purchasing emergency power.

What's the Diference Between a Capacity Emergency and a Transmission Emergency? 

There are two main reasons MISO might call for load shed—and they happen in different ways.

Capacity Emergency Load Shed

This happens when not enough electricity is being generated to meet demand. For example, extreme heat or cold might push demand way up, while power plants go offline due to fuel issues or equipment problems.

Capacity shortages usually happen gradually. MISO can often spot them early and take action—like tapping into reserves and/or bringing emergency generation online—before load shed becomes necessary.

Transmission Emergency Load Shed

This happens when electricity can’t reach the areas that need it, even if there’s enough power on the system. That might be due to a damaged transmission line, equipment failure, or heavy congestion on the grid.

These emergencies can happen suddenly and without warning. When they do, MISO has just minutes to act in order to avoid system overload or broader failures. Load must be reduced quickly in the affected area to keep the grid stable.

What Is MISO’s Role in Load Shed Events?

MISO coordinates the big picture. We don’t choose which homes or businesses are affected—that’s handled by local utilities. But we:

• Calculate how much load needs to be reduced
• Notify local operators with specific instructions
• Monitor the system in real time and stay in contact with neighboring regions
• Use tools like conservative operations and generation warnings to try and avoid load shedding in the first place

What Do Local Utilities Do?

MISO works with Local Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators, who are responsible for carrying out the load shed instructions.

They:

• Decide which areas will temporarily lose power
• Avoid shedding power from critical facilities like hospitals or emergency services
• May use rotating outages to limit the impact on any one group of customers
• Coordinate with MSIO to restore power as soon as it’s safe to do so

How Does MISO Prepare for Load Shed?

MISO takes emergency readiness seriously. We regularly:

• Hold drills and exercises with member utilities
• Practice for extreme weather, system failures, and other emergency situations
• Run monthly load shed drills to test systems and ensure fast response
• Identify areas for improvement and keep communication lines strong

In Summary

Load shed is always a last resort measure implemented to keep power flowing to the greatest number of people while protecting the bulk electric grid from potential damage. It can be  the safest and fastest way to prevent a much larger blackout. Whether caused by a capacity shortage or a transmission emergency, MISO works with its member utilities to act quickly, minimize impact, and restore power as soon as possible.

Our number one goal in a load shed event is always the same: Keep the grid stable and the lights on for as many people as possible.

MISO, as a Regional Transmission Organization, has a specific role to play, and specific "tools" it may rely upon, when it comes to power restoration. 

Power Restoration Role and Responsibilities

MISO’s primary role during a power grid restoration in its region is to serve as a facilitator during the restoration process: coordinating, exchanging information, and maintaining stability.

MISO is responsible for the collection and exchange of information, as well as communication and coordination with the impacted entities.  Additionally, MISO is responsible for working with our impacted members to coordinate getting the power flowing again across the grid while maintaining stability so as to prevent a re-collapse of the system.

MISO also coordinates with its neighbors to ensure stability throughout the restoration process.

Restoration "Tools" or Procedures

MISO operators can rely on a number of emergency procedures to ensure grid stability and reliability during restoration. These "tools" can include sending emergency notifications and declarations to member operators in the MISO region. Some of the notification and declarations that could be issued include:

• Transmission Advisory
  • This communication tool is used for situational awareness. The message informs members that, based on projected system conditions, there may a transmission issue that will require specific actions to be taken in order to ensure reliability.
• Local Transmission Emergency
• This declaration identifies a specific entity or entities and provides instructions for mitigating a transmission emergency for a specific area of the grid
• Transmission System Emergency
• This declaration provides instructions for mitigating operating emergencies on the Transmission System that have the potential to exceed a pre-defined system operating limit that could lead to instability or outages.