Power outage: how long does food in the freezer stay safe?

Keep the doors shut. Cold is your best friend.

The answer in 2 lines. Keep the freezer and fridge doors closed. According to USDA, a full freezer keeps food safe for about 48 hours (24 hours if half full), and a fridge for about 4 hours. When power returns, frozen food that still has ice crystals or is at 40 °F (4 °C) or below can be refrozen. Fridge food like meat, dairy and leftovers that has been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should be thrown out. Never taste food to check it. When in doubt, throw it out.

The first 3 steps

Don't open the freezer or fridge: every opening lets warm air in.
Note the time the power went out.
If the outage will be long, move fridge items into coolers with ice, and consider dry ice or block ice for the freezer.

Stop: danger

Never run a generator, grill or camp stove inside your home or garage to keep food cold or cook: carbon monoxide can kill. If several people get headaches or feel sick, get outside and call 911.
Dry ice: handle it with gloves and never in a closed space without air flow.

During the outage

Keep doors shut. A full freezer holds cold longer than a half-empty one.
Group food together in the freezer so it stays cold longer.
Keep an appliance thermometer in both the fridge and freezer: it's the only way to know for sure.

After the outage: keep or toss

Frozen food with ice crystals, or at 40 °F (4 °C) or below: you can refreeze it, though quality may drop.
Fridge food (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, leftovers) above 40 °F for over 2 hours: throw it out.
Hard cheeses, butter, fresh whole fruits and vegetables, condiments: often keep longer; FoodSafety.gov has a detailed chart.
Anything that smells, looks or feels off: throw it out. Never taste to check.

What not to do

Opening the freezer every hour to check.
Relying on smell or taste: bacteria that make you sick often don't change either.
Refreezing food that has fully thawed and warmed above 40 °F.

Good to know

A trick: freeze a cup of water, then put a coin on top. If the coin has sunk to the bottom when power returns, the freezer thawed.
Keep frozen gel packs or jugs of ice in the freezer: they help it stay cold and can go in a cooler.
Insulin and some medicines need cold: ask your pharmacist or doctor what to do during an outage.

Who pays?

Some homeowners and renters policies cover food spoiled by a power outage, often with limits, and many don't. Check your policy before you file. A few utilities have programs for spoiled food after long outages, but there's no national rule: ask your utility.

During a summer storm in Houston, Lauren's power goes out overnight. She keeps the freezer shut. When power comes back after nine hours, the thermometer reads 15 °F and everything is still hard, so she keeps it. The milk and chicken in the fridge sat above 40 °F for hours, so she throws them out.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on October 18, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for USDA's 4-hour, 24-hour, 48-hour and 40 °F rules; medium for insurance and utility compensation, which depend on your policy and provider. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis.