Major Outages Leave Oakdale, Thousands More in Dark Friday

The power is out for thousands of Xcel Energy customers in Oakdale early Friday morning after thunderstorms blew through the area. 

Heavy rain and high winds hit the area around 4 a.m. Friday, causing tree damage and downed powerlines around Washington County, including Oakdale and Woodbury.

That’s left thousands without power in both communities.

According to Xcel Energy, the area’s major electric utility:

“A severe band of thunderstorms moved through Minnesota early Friday morning, June 21. The storm caused significant damage to our electric system, including a number of downed poles and power lines. Outages are scattered throughout the state, with approximately 130,000 customers without power at this time. We are currently assessing the damages and no restoration time is yet available. Additional crews from the North and South Dakota and other utilities have been coordinated to assist with restoration efforts. Please stay away from downed power lines and always assume a downed wire is energized and therefore dangerous. Report downed power lines to Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999 or call 9-1-1.”

According to the Xcel Outage Map, more than 10,000 customers lost power at about 4:15 a.m., and service was expected to be restored by about 10:15 a.m. in some areas.

How did the storm affect your home and neighborhood?