Photo credit: www.yahoo.com
On April 28, a significant power outage affected millions across Spain, Portugal, and France, attributed to a rare occurrence known as “induced atmospheric vibration,” where environmental changes disrupt electrical systems.
The primary impact was felt in Spain, where the electricity cutoff led to extensive disruption. Spain’s national railway operator, Renfe, announced via social media that the “entire national electricity grid was cut off” at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time.
Consequently, regions in both Spain and Portugal experienced a virtual standstill. This led to the grounding of flights, interruption of public transport, and some hospitals were compelled to limit non-emergency procedures.
As reported by the BBC, the Portuguese energy provider REN indicated that “extreme temperature fluctuations in central Spain resulted in unusual oscillations in high voltage lines (400 KV), a phenomenon referred to as ‘induced atmospheric vibration.’
See photos of the power outage in Spain, Portugal, France
A worker helps a customer with a torch at a supermarket during the outage in Barcelona, Spain, on April 28, 2025.
In Madrid, individuals relied on their mobile phone flashlights to navigate in the dark during the national blackout on the same day.
In a store in Madrid, a man struggled to count coins under the low lighting caused by the power failure.
Another individual awaited the reopening of a metro station during the outage in Madrid.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photos show massive power outage striking Spain, Portugal
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