Power Outage in Williston, ND

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How to Report Power Outage

Power outage in Williston, North Dakota? Contact your local utility company.

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co
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(800) 638-3278
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Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative
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(800) 279-2667
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MEC
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(800) 492-5989 Report Online
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Toledo Edison
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(888) 544-4877 Report Online
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Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc
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(406) 488-1602

Williston Power Outages Caused by Weather

Events

April 23, 2022 - 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.

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January 13, 2021 - High Wind

Williston ASOS reported wind gusts to 93 mph. Power outages occurred in the Grenora and Epping areas. A trailer home flipped over at the state line west of Williston.

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July 3, 2012 - Thunderstorm Wind

The strong winds blew down a tree onto a power line.

Bonetraill - Bonetraill
April 30, 2011 - Blizzard

Up to 11 inches of heavy wet snow combined with winds gusting to near 65 mph to result in widespread blizzard conditions. Travel was impossible due to many roads blocked by snow. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down, leading to a prolonged period of power outages across the county. Some of the adverse effects caused by the disruption in power included reports of water and sewage backups, and thousands of dollars in damages from the loss of refrigerated and frozen foods.

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July 2, 2010 - Thunderstorm Wind

Strong winds were reported in the city of Williston, resulting in power bumps and displaced trash dumpsters.

Williston - Williston

Episodes

September 2, 2019

Discrete severe thunderstorms initially developed in the wake of a warm front in an area of strong instability over northwestern North Dakota during the late morning hours. The storms then started spreading southeast as a cold front pushed into the area. The initial storms were primarily a hail threat, with hail the size of golf balls reported in Williams and McKenzie counties. As the storms shifted southeast and became a line, the primary threat became strong wind gusts. By the time the storms reached the Jamestown area wind gusts were around 85 mph. This resulted in widespread tree and power line damage along with campers and semi-trucks overturning along Interstate 94 resulting in a brief closure of the interstate.

July 9, 2018

Severe thunderstorms moved from southeast Saskatchewan into northeast Montana, and then into northwest North Dakota where the environment was rich in low level moisture with enhanced deep and low level shear. Initially, supercell thunderstorms produced very large hail up to the size of tennis balls over Williams County before transitioning to a hail and wind threat with reported wind gusts around 62 mph as the storms approached McKenzie County. A mix of severe wind and hail occurred in McKenzie County before a tornado developed along a line of strong wind just to the west of a large recreational vehicle, camper, and mobile home park on the southwest side of Watford City. About 135 people were displaced from their homes. One fatality occurred and 28 people were injured, about 13 of them seriously. Based on the damage the tornado was rated EF2 and from that winds were estimated to have been around 127 mph. The tornado passed through the park causing extensive and severe damage to over 100 recreational vehicles, campers, and single wide manufactured homes. Power poles were snapped and other non-occupied buildings were damaged and some destroyed, including a well-built pole barn. Many vehicles were damaged, some totaled.

October 11, 2008

An early fall storm brought six to eleven inches of heavy wet snow to parts of western North Dakota from Saturday night of October 11th, through Sunday evening of October 12th. Snowfall reports ranged from six inches in Dunn and Bowman counties, to eleven inches in Golden Valley county. Newspaper media reported that the heavy wet snow accumulating on leaves caused branches to break onto power lines, which resulted in power outages in McKenzie and Williams counties for several hours on Sunday.

April 18, 2006

See StormData entry for High Wind from April 18, 2006. The high wind event evolved into a winter storm with snow and gusty winds in the 30 to 40 mph range and visibility near zero at times in open country. Power lines were downed with 184 poles reported damaged or destroyed in Williams County alone. An estimated one thousand people were without power at one time or another. In McKenzie County there were three (3) deaths (indirect) and four (4) injuries (indirect) because of a three (3) vehicle accident along U.S. Highway 85. A family from Texas was traveling to Montana when they were involved in a head on accident in McKenzie County, about 20 miles south of Watford City. Killed (indirect) were a 44 year old male, 11 year old male, and a 10 year old female. All three (3) were from the same family. Injured (indirect) were a 39 year old female (same family), a 61 year old male, a 56 year old female, and a 12 year old female. The accident occurred around 220 PM CST on April 18. In Divide County an electric cooperative employee was killed (indirect) around 8 PM CST April 18. The electrical accident occurred about 9 miles southwest of Fortuna, near Alkabo, in Divide county. The 47 year old male with 20 years experience with the COOP was repairing power lines when he was killed (indirect). Interstate 94 was closed from Dickinson, North Dakota, to Glendive, Montana, a distance of about 100 miles, at the height of the storm. No travel was advised in many counties. Snow totals were 8 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Trotters, McKenzie County, and 12 inches at Beach, Golden Valley County. The storm brought major distruption to transportation, commerce, and electrical service.

December 26, 2003

Low pressure developed over Wyoming moving into central North Dakota on the 26th of December and intensified into a winter storm. The storm was a prolonged event producing 6 to 13 inches of snow in the west. The most snow fell at Power Lakes with 13 inches and Williston with 10 inches.

News

Blizzard blasts Bismarck snowfall record; Mandan totals reach 2 feet

The blizzard that hit Bismarck on Thursday smashed the city's snowfall record for the date and came just shy of being an all-time historic storm.

Nov 11, 2022

Blizzard roars into North Dakota; I-94 pileup causes multiple injuries

The first blizzard of the season blasted into North Dakota on Thursday, dumping more than a foot of snow in some places including Bismarck-Mandan, restricting travel across the state and

Nov 10, 2022

Phone outage disrupts 911 service | News, Sports, Jobs - Minot Daily News

A phone outage affected dispatch centers across the state early Monday, including Minot Central Dispatch. Vesta/Motorola Solutions and other statewide agencies

Sep 13, 2022

Strong gusts blow off roof, leads to power outage in Williston Share on Facebook Email This Link Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

Thousands of MDU customers are without power as of noon Wednesday in the Williston area due to an unexpected power outage.

Aug 17, 2022

Rolling blackouts a possibility this summer for North Dakota Share on Facebook Email This Link Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn

The country’s power grids will be tested this summer as some utilities are facing energy generation shortfalls, which could lead to rolling blackouts. This could also affect people in North Dakota.

May 31, 2022

Burke-Divide nears full restoration, Mountrail-Williams still contending with outages | News, Sports, Jobs - Minot Daily News

With the end of May approaching, regional electric cooperatives are finally nearing a return to full power. Thousands found themselves without power back in

May 19, 2022

Burgum announces help available for eligible renters and homeowners affected by extended power outages | North Dakota Office of the Governor

Gov. Doug Burgum announced that help is available through the North Dakota Department of Human Services for qualifying renters and homeowners impacted by the extended power outage in northwest North Dakota following the April 22-23 blizzard and ice storm.

May 4, 2022

Over 3,000 households experiencing power outages in Western ND | KX NEWS Open Navigation Close Navigation

Bismarck, ND (KXNET) — According to the outage map of North Dakota from PowerOutage.us, there are over 3,000 households experiencing power outages in the state with the strong majority coming from Western ND. What began with around 1,000 outages on Saturday, April 23, has continued to spread throughout the western part of the state and […]

Apr 24, 2022

Blizzard cuts into drought in North Dakota; another storm bears down on state

Last week's blizzard significantly cut into long-term drought in North Dakota, but an approaching storm is raising travel, power outage, livestock and flooding concerns.

Apr 21, 2022

User Comments…

Are you affected? Leave your comment below.

Power out williston arms Apts transformer blown

Brandon | June 10, 2023  

Power out williston arms Apts transformer blown

Brandon | June 10, 2023  

Power out williston arms Apts transformer blown

Brandon | June 10, 2023  

Power out williston arms Apts transformer blown

Brandon | June 10, 2023  

Power out williston arms Apts transformer blown

Brandon | June 10, 2023  

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Power Outage FAQs

What is Power Outage?

Power outage (also called a power cut, a power blackout, power failure or a blackout) is a short-term or a long-term loss of the electric power to a particular area.

What Causes Power Outages?

  • Severe weather (high winds, lightning, winter storms, heat waves, rain or flooding can cause damage to power lines or equipment);
  • Other damage to electric transmission lines (vehicle accidents, trees, and animals can cause damage to power lines or equipment);
  • Repairing, maintenance or upgrades on power lines and equipment.

What are the Top Outage Safety Tips?

  • Stay away from the downed power lines, park vehicles in protected areas;
  • Unplug appliances and electronics, limit cell phone use to conserve battery life;
  • Use portable generators outdoors only, well away from open windows and doors;
  • Pack perishable foods into a cooler, keep refrigerator and freezer doors shut as much as possible.

Related Cities

Report power outage in other North Dakota cities.

Williston, North Dakota

City Williston
County Williams
State North Dakota (ND)
Country United States
Zip Codes 58801, 58802

Williston Map