Severe Storm Xcel's Electric System, Thousands without Power in River Valley

A couple hundred Xcel customers in the Stillwater area are without power this morning after a severe storm ripped through the area early Friday morning.

According to Xcel Energy’s Power Outage Map, the outages span the valley from Stillwater to Lakeland.

Here’s a news release from Xcel:

A severe band of thunderstorms moved through Minnesota early Friday morning, June 21. The storm caused significant damage to our electric system, including a number of downed poles and power lines. Outages are scattered throughout the state, with approximately 130,000 customers without power at this time. We are currently assessing the damages and no restoration time is yet available. Additional crews from the North and South Dakota and other utilities have been coordinated to assist with restoration efforts. Please stay away from downed power lines and always assume a downed wire is energized and therefore dangerous. Report downed power lines to Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999 or call 9-1-1.

The storm really caused a situation in Hudson this morning. Tree branches and power lines are downed throughout the area.

Here’s a news release from Xcel pertaining to customers in western Wisconsin:

A severe band of thunderstorms moved through western Wisconsin early Friday morning, June 21. The storm caused significant damage to our electric system, including a number of downed poles and power lines. Outages are scattered throughout the state, with approximately 15,000 customers without power at this time, mostly in the Hudson area. We are currently assessing the damages and no restoration time is yet available. Additional crews from the North and South Dakota and other utilities have been coordinated to assist with restoration efforts. Please stay away from downed power lines and always assume a downed wire is energized and therefore dangerous. Report downed power lines to Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999 or call 9-1-1.