(Le Mars) Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) is responding to extensive damage and system-wide power outages caused by today’s severe winter storm across western Iowa.
Restoration efforts were suspended at 4:30 p.m. today due to hazardous road conditions. Heavy snow and strong winds have made many roads impassable or closed entirely. Crews will resume work tomorrow morning, March 20.
At 7:00 p.m., assessment of some areas has not been completed due to limited or impossible access. Crews have successfully restored power to several communities this afternoon, but significant challenges remain. Current impacts include:
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Approximately 18 miles of downed transmission lines
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20 substations offline
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Over 3,200 service outages across Crawford, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Shelby, and Woodbury counties
These outages are affecting members of Harrison County REC, Nishnabotna Valley REC, North West REC, Western Iowa Power Cooperative (WIPCO), Western Iowa Municipal Electric Cooperative Association (WIMECA), and Woodbury County REC.
“Our priority this evening is keeping our crews off the road so road crews, emergency management, and first responders can effectively serve their communities,” said NIPCO Executive Vice President and General Manager Matt Washburn. “Our operations team is identifying priority areas to target tomorrow morning, to restore power to more communities and members as soon as possible.”
NIPCO has secured mutual aid from neighboring Iowa and South Dakota transmission cooperatives to assist with infrastructure repairs. Many transmission lines are down in impossible-to-access areas.
NIPCO maintains close communication with member cooperatives and will provide regular updates as more information becomes available. We appreciate the patience of our member cooperatives and their member-consumers during this severe weather event.
For the latest information on this evolving situation and restoration efforts, please visit https://www.nipco.coop/2025-winter-storm-outage-updates or follow Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative on Facebook. The next update will be provided tomorrow morning – Thursday, March 20.
