Large parts of Downey, Norwalk lost power on Christmas Eve due to a transformer failure

A transformer failure caused power outages in the Downey and Norwalk areas, affecting tens of thousands of customers on Christmas Eve.

The outage was reported in Downey at 1:35 p.m. affecting 24,187 customers, according to Southern California Edison's status website. The reason for the outage was listed as “storm conditions,” and the predicted restoration for most customers was 5 a.m. on Christmas Day.

National Weather Service forecasters predicted light afternoon rain on Christmas Eve that would dry out by evening.

In an unincorporated area near Ada S. Nelson Elementary School in Whittier, an additional 12,437 customers lost power.

Edison spokesman Jeff Monford told The Times just before 3:00 p.m. that a transformer malfunction caused power outages in Downey and Norwalk, but power had been restored to most customers earlier in the day. “We know any outage is a hardship,” Monford said, adding that crews will work to restore power as quickly as possible.