Nelson County, ND Power Outages
Utilities serving Nelson County, North Dakota don't yet share live outage data with DOE's ODIN feed. Check your electric company's outage map (listed below) for real-time status.
Nelson County on the North Dakota outage map
- Normal
- Minor
- Moderate
- Major
- Severe
- Limited data
Current outages
Weather alerts
No active outage-relevant weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
Nelson County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in Nelson County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 32 significant power outages in Nelson County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Jul 25, 2020) came when hail and lightning left 1,121 customers (90.5% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 3 hr 16 min of power per year, more than the North Dakota average of 1 hr 53 min. That ranks 24th of 52 North Dakota counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
March is the riskiest month: it accounted for 32% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 38 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in Nelson County has risen recently: about 4 hr 23 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 1 hr 1 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Jul 16, 2025) affected 226 customers (18.2%) amid hail and lightning.
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 25, 2020 | 1,121(90.5%) | 1 | Hail and lightning |
| 2 | Jul 12, 2024 | 663(53.5%) | 1 | Hail and lightning |
| 3 | Jun 8, 2020 | 542(43.7%) | 1 | Tornadoes |
| 4 | Mar 24, 2021 | 533(43%) | 1 | No major storm reported |
| 5 | Mar 19–21, 2022 | 511(41.2%) | 3 | No major storm reported |
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 Nelson County?
Electric companies with service territory in Nelson County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (ND) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Tail Power | Investor Owned | 60,770 | Not reporting | |
| Nodak Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 21,486 | Not reporting | |
| City of Lakota - (ND) | Municipal | 540 | Not reporting | |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | 24 | Not reporting |
Customer counts are each utility's statewide total in North Dakota. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 & Electric Power Annual.
Local outage news
No Nelson County outage headlines in the past week.
Nelson County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in Nelson County right now?
No outages are currently reported for Nelson 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 Nelson County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Otter Tail Power Co, Nodak Electric Coop Inc, City of Lakota - (ND), WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration provide electric service in Nelson County, North Dakota.
What was the worst power outage in Nelson County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Jul 25, 2020. It peaked at 1,121 customers without power (90.5% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to hail and lightning.
How often does the power go out in Nelson County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 32 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 3 hr 16 min of power per year, and on 38 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. "Nelson County, ND Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/north-dakota/nelson-county