Sorry if this is a silly question but what causes a power cut? Because they always seem to come out of nowhere! Thanks

Question: Sorry if this is a silly question but what causes a power cut? Because they always seem to come out of nowhere! Thanks for taking your time to answer questions:)
- Keywords:
  Electricity,
  energy,
  power cut
Asked by Ava O’C on 23 Nov 2020.
- Liudmila Khokhlova answered on 23 Nov 2020: last edited 23 Nov 2020 6:17 pm
  
  This is not a silly question at all! It’s actually a big problem and there can be many reasons causing power cuts. But as one of my professors in university used to joke: “all electrical problems come from either no connection or a connection in a place where it shouldn’t be”.
  Examples of no connection – broken power lines due to falling trees during storms, strong winds, excavation works without proper planning, old equipment etc. Sometimes when the load is too high (during winter for example) cables can melt or the fuses can go off. Examples of unwanted connections: water can seep into equipment causing a high current spike and it will be automatically turned off. Lightning can be one of the reasons as well and I’m probably;y still missing a few…:D

Question: Sorry if this is a silly question but what causes a power cut? Because they always seem to come out of nowhere! Thanks for taking your time to answer questions:)