Power outages continue into 2nd day for thousands in northwestern Wisconsin (2024)

As of Friday morning, over 30,000 western Wisconsin power customers were still without service.

Published: Dec. 16, 2022 at 8:31 AM CST

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - After a long-lasting winter storm dumped several inches of snow across western Wisconsin, tens of thousands of people were left without power beginning early Thursday morning.

For nearly 30,000 people in Wisconsin, most of them in the northwestern part of the state, those outages have continued into Friday, more than 24 hours after the first outages were reported.

Xcel Energy reported Friday morning that about 15,000 customers were still without power, down from an overall impact of 79,000 customers who experienced some form of outage. Xcel Energy said in a release Friday that about 52,000 customers had some form of sustained outage and another 27,000 customers had momentary interruptions in service. The company has about a quarter-million customers in Wisconsin. Xcel Energy said that infrastructure, such as utility poles and power lines, were significantly damaged by wind, ice and snow, and work on restoring service would likely last into Saturday, in part due to additional expected snowfall. Over 1,600 field crews, employees, contractors and support staff from eight states have been brought into western Wisconsin to help restore service, with more crews arriving Friday.

According to the power outage tracking website poweroutage.us, the most heavily impacted counties as of Friday morning across all electric providers are Sawyer (over 4,000 customers experiencing an outage), Bayfield (over 3,800), Rusk (over 2,500), Marathon (over 2,400), and Chippewa (over 2,200). Barron, Douglas, Eau Claire and Juneau Counties all reported over 1,000 customers without power as of Friday morning, with hundreds more in many of the surrounding counties also reporting power outages.

Jump River Electric Cooperative, whose outages are not reported to poweroutage.us, reported 80% of its nearly 10,000 customers had no service Friday morning. The co-op’s coverage area includes Barron, Chippewa, Price, Rusk, Sawyer and Taylor counties. Over 7,700 customers had an outage Friday morning, including over 4,400 in Sawyer and 2,474 in Rusk counties.

Barron Electric Cooperative said about 22% of its 18,000 customers (about 4,300) were without power as of Friday morning. Several other electric co-ops in western Wisconsin also had noted hundreds of customers still without power, according to the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, with 21,433 co-op customers without power as of 8 a.m. Friday morning.

As a result of the persistent outages, the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley opened its doors Friday to everyone free of charge as a place to warm up, exercise, or take a hot shower. The Chippewa Falls location was open until 7 p.m. Friday while Eau Claire’s location was open until 9 p.m. Friday.

Warming shelters were set up in several affected communities, such as Eau Claire. In areas with widespread outages, public buildings, such as the Winter School District, were also serving as shelters for people who did not have power overnight Thursday into Friday.

Xcel Energy urges safety and caution: Please use caution when traveling in affected areas and stay away from downed lines. Contact Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999 to report downed lines or natural gas leaks. Call 911 to report an emergency.

Report your outage: Customers can help Xcel Energy get a jump on power restoration by reporting outages. Customers have several ways to report outages.

• Through the My Xcel Energy mobile app, available in the Apple App Store and through Google Play.
• Online at xcelenergy.com/out
• By calling 1-800-895-1999 and following the prompts—the automated phone reporting system lets customers report outages in less than 60 seconds. Once the cause of the problem is identified, the system or an Xcel Energy representative will provide customers with an estimated restoration time when available.

Stay informed: If outages occur, it’s important for customers to have access to the most recent updates about their power restoration. Customers can stay informed by using the My Xcel Energy mobile app or visiting the Xcel Energy website. The website hosts an outage map that displays information on the number of customers out and anticipated time for restoration when available. Customers can also stay informed by following Xcel Energy on Facebook and Twitter.

Other ways customers can prepare, stay safe:

• Build a home emergency kit. Xcel Energy recommends assembling an easily accessible kit that you can rely on in the event of a power outage.
• Keep gas meters clear. Clearing snow and ice from natural gas meters is key to avoiding the potential for dangerous natural gas buildup indoors due to vents becoming sealed when covered in ice and snow melt drip on it during the day and refreeze at night. Xcel Energy strongly recommends keeping the entire meter assembly clear of snow and ice. Gently remove snow or ice from the meter, associated piping and the roofline above the meter. Check often to ensure melting snow isn’t dripping on the meter from the roof or nearby trees. Use a shovel around a meter to move snow away; avoid using your snowblower near a meter.
• Heating safety. Xcel Energy encourages homeowners to take advantage of rebates and incentives to install energy efficient furnaces and insulation. If you chose to use a space heater, take care to ensure safety as more than 65,000 home fires are attributed to heating equipment each year in the United States, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says that power outages can cause situations that threaten health or safety. Here are some general tips about how to navigate the loss of electricity:

• An electrical power outage or interruption may cause operational problems with your furnace. If your furnace is not operating, be careful of hazards, which can occur from alternative heating sources.
• Do NOT use alternative heating sources such as space heaters, grills, and other appliances that can give off dangerous gases. These appliances must be properly vented. Carbon monoxide is a concern. The use and ventilation of portable power generators must be carefully monitored.
• If you use electrical heaters powered by portable generators, be careful where you place the heater and do not leave the heater unattended.
• When a power outage occurs, food safety becomes a concern.
• If you have electrical problems, call the your local utility company.

Xcel Energy’s power outage map can be located here. Xcel Energy also offers tips on safety during power outages, which you can read here.

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