Early Morning Storm Knocks Out Power to Thousands in Dakota County

Dakota Electric Association reported at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday that more than 10,000 customers had experiencing power outages from the severe storms that moved through the area overnight. Dakota Electric covers portions of southeast Burnsville.

Power was fully restored in Dakota Electric's territory by 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday night, but it was slow going: By mid-morning on Tuesday, power had been restored to all but 3,000. By the afternoon, about 500 customers were still without power. The company’s wholesale power supplier, Great River Energy, lost entire poles to high winds in two different locations: Apple Valley and the Miesville area. Officials said power has been temporarily rerouted through other lines while the downed power lines are rebuilt.

Likewise, Xcel Energy reported 77 outages spread over its territories in Burnsville and Savage, as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

Crews from both companies are responding to the outages, which are widespread and scattered across the service area. The number of outages could increase as people continue to report them.

Residents should stay away from downed power lines, and call the Dakota Electric outage line to report safety hazards or power outages: 651-463-6201. If you are a Dakota Electric customer and you still don't have power, compnay officials are asking that you call and report the outage, even if you have already done so.

Xcel customers should call 1-800-895-1999 to report an outage.