Power Outage in Sawyer, ND

Dense Fog. Over 20 locations lost power as a result of frost accumulating on power lines due to the multi-day dense fog event. Multiple lines were downed as conductors broke, or snapped.

January 15, 2023

Multiple days of dense fog combined with below freezing temperatures led to heavy frost and ice forming on power lines over northwest into parts of north central North Dakota. The greatest damage occurred over the far northwest where nearly 60 power poles were broken, with additional poles broken over parts of north central North Dakota. Multiple lines and cross-arms were also damaged or broken. At least 500 customers suffered power losses, some for multiple days. Over southwest North Dakota in Stark County, near zero visibility due to dense fog led to one indirect death. According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, a semi-truck jackknifed while traveling along Interstate 94 during the very early morning hours of January 16, with the trailer blocking the westbound passing lane. A 50 year old female from Dickinson, also traveling westbound, died (indirect) when she hit the trailer on the left-rear side and went under it.

January 15, 2023

Blizzard. Strong winds and heavy snow combined to produce a blizzard. In addition, periods of freezing rain occurred which accreted on power lines. This, combined with strong winds, led to extensive damage to power lines, cross arms, and poles, and thus widespread power outages.

April 23, 2022

A strong Colorado low lifted through North Dakota. Initially, a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow developed over western and central North Dakota. As temperatures dropped over the northwest and far north central, ice accumulated on power lines. Strong winds developed, with precipitation eventually changing over to all snow. The strong winds combined with the ice on the power lines leading to thousands of power poles and cross arms breaking, resulting in widespread power outages throughout the northwest into the far north central. On the evening of April 24, almost all of the northwest part of the state was without power. Some residential services in rural areas took over three weeks to have power restored, and some non-residential services were not restored until mid-June. As the snow combined with the strong winds, visibility dropped to zero across western and parts of central North Dakota. Interstate 94 closed from the Montana state line to Mandan, and most other roads were impassable. Due to the after-effects of the blizzard and power outages, the American Red Cross opened warming shelters in Crosby and Williston, and provided showers and meals to many individuals. Snowfall totals of over a foot and a half were reported, though were tough to measure with wind gusts over 70 mph. As of the writing of this episode, power companies and government officials were still in the process of calculating financial losses. With that said, expectations are that at a minimum, the financial impact from this storm was at least 60 million dollars. It should be understood that this value, and the individual county event entries, are rough estimates.

April 23, 2022

High Wind. Minot ASOS reported wind gusts to 78 mph. In Minot, an apartment building roof was severely damaged along with fences. Trees were also damaged or blown over throughout the city, which caused damage to power lines and blocked streets. Electrical power outages occurred in many parts of the city. In Surrey, a playset was blown over.

January 13, 2021