Crews work to restore power across Twin Cities area after Wednesday night storms

By KSTP

5:10 p.m. Thursday

As of 5:10 p.m. Thursday, Xcel Energy reported just under 1,000 active outages affecting around 15,000 customers.

Xcel Energy provided an update Thursday on what residents without power can do.

Residents can report an outage by:

  • Submitting an online report here.
  • Reporting an outage via text by texting ‘OUT’ to 98936, or by texting ‘STAT’ to the same number to check the status of an outage.
  • Calling 1-800-895-1999 and following the prompts. Once the cause of the problem is identified, an Xcel Energy representative can provide the caller with an estimated restoration time.

Xcel Energy reports it is already making preparations for additional storms expected Thursday afternoon.

Follow the latest weather updates here.

The company says it has more than 700 field employees working to restore power to impacted customers.

9:06 p.m. Wednesday

Xcel Energy reports that more than 72,000 customers across Minnesota lost power as of 9:06 p.m. Wednesday night.

The company’s outage map reports that 729 outages have impacted 72,106 customers.

“Hundreds of employees are out working to safely restore electric service to customers as quickly as possible,” Xcel said in a statement. “We understand that power outages can be a major inconvenience for customers, and we appreciate customers’ understanding, patience and kindness as our crew members work to restore power.”

Xcel said people should use caution and avoid downed lines, live wires and other hazards. Downed lines and gas leaks can be reported to Xcel at 800-895-1999.

This is a developing story and 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will provide updates as they become available.

KSTP has compiled a list of major utility companies in the state, with links to their outage maps and reports so you can track power outages in your area:
CenterPoint Energy
Xcel Energy
Minnesota Power
Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative
Otter Tail Power Company
Municipals