Rice County, MN Power Outages
Only some utilities serving Rice County, Minnesota share live outage data (Dakota Electric Association, Minnesota Valley Electric Coop), and none of them report outages here right now. Northern States Power Co - Minnesota and Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric do not share live data, so check their outage maps for real-time status.
Rice County on the Minnesota outage map
- Normal
- Minor
- Moderate
- Major
- Severe
- Limited data
Current outages
Weather alerts
No active outage-relevant weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
Rice County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in Rice County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 115 significant power outages in Rice County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Jul 6–7, 2016) came when tornadoes left 12,884 customers (44.1% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 2 hr 46 min of power per year, close to the Minnesota average of 2 hr 46 min. That ranks 34th of 85 Minnesota counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
September is the riskiest month: it accounted for 43% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 29 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in Rice County has fallen recently: about 1 hr 53 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 3 hr 39 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Nov 26, 2025) affected 1,825 customers (6.2%) amid a winter storm.
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 6–7, 2016 | 12,884(44.1%) | 2 | Tornadoes |
| 2 | Sep 21–24, 2018 | 8,760(30%) | 4 | Tornadoes |
| 3 | Aug 6–10, 2018 | 4,829(16.5%) | 5 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 4 | Apr 19, 2023 | 4,734(16.2%) | 1 | Flooding |
| 5 | Apr 12–13, 2022 | 3,893(13.3%) | 2 | Severe thunderstorms |
Hours without power per customer, by year
When outages happen
Source: DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I recorded electricity outages, 2014–2025 (CC BY 4.0), with likely causes from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database. EAGLE-I coverage was partial before 2018, so averages use 2018–2025. Peak counts are the highest number of customers out at one time.
Who provides electricity in Rice County?
Electric companies with service territory in Rice County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (MN) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xcel Energy (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) | Investor Owned | 1,389,331 | Not reporting | |
| Dakota Electric Association | Cooperative | 117,913 | Reporting | |
| Minnesota Valley Electric Coop | Cooperative | 48,531 | Reporting | |
| Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric | Cooperative | 12,126 | Not reporting | |
| Goodhue County Coop Elec Assn | Cooperative | 5,282 | Not reporting |
Customer counts are each utility's statewide total in Minnesota. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 & Electric Power Annual.
Local outage news
No Rice County outage headlines in the past week.
Cities in Rice County
Faribault, Northfield
Nearby counties
Rice County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in Rice County right now?
No outages are currently reported for Rice County by participating utilities. Live coverage is limited here, so If your power is out, report it to your electric company.
Which electric company serves Rice County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, Dakota Electric Association, Minnesota Valley Electric Coop, Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric and 1 others provide electric service in Rice County, Minnesota.
What was the worst power outage in Rice County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Jul 6–7, 2016. It peaked at 12,884 customers without power (44.1% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to tornadoes.
How often does the power go out in Rice County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 115 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 2 hr 46 min of power per year, and on 29 days at least 5% of customers were out at once.
Cite this page
You may reuse our derived data under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Underlying government data is public domain.
PowerOutageTracker.com. "Rice County, MN Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/minnesota/rice-county