Buffalo County, SD Power Outages
Utilities serving Buffalo County, South 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.
Buffalo County on the South 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.
Buffalo County power outage history
Every significant outage recorded in Buffalo County since late 2014, with likely causes from NOAA storm reports
Since late 2014, DOE's EAGLE-I monitoring system has recorded 21 significant power outages in Buffalo County, meaning events that left at least 1% of customers in the dark. The largest (Apr 19, 2021) came when a winter storm left 639 customers (100% of the county) without power.
From 2018 to 2025, the average customer here lost about 2 hr 22 min of power per year, less than the South Dakota average of 3 hr 46 min. That ranks 45th of 65 South Dakota counties for outage time, where 1st has the most.
September is the riskiest month: it accounted for 28% of all customer outage time from 2018 to 2025. On 31 days in that period, at least 5% of customers were out at the same time. Outage time in Buffalo County has fallen recently: about 1 hr 18 min per customer per year in 2022–2025, versus 3 hr 47 min in 2018–2021.
The most recent significant outage on record (Jul 27, 2025) affected 59 customers (10%) amid severe thunderstorms.
Worst outages on record
| # | When | Peak customers out | Days | Likely cause (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 19, 2021 | 639(100%) | 1 | Winter storm |
| 2 | Sep 15–16, 2020 | 633(100%) | 2 | No major storm reported |
| 3 | Jul 20–22, 2021 | 482(81.4%) | 3 | Severe thunderstorms |
| 4 | Aug 2, 2019 | 165(27.9%) | 1 | Flooding |
| 5 | Dec 5, 2022 | 84(14.2%) | 1 | 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 Buffalo County?
Electric companies with service territory in Buffalo County (EIA-861, 2025)
| Utility | Type | Customers (SD) | Avg. outage time / yr | Live data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Electric Coop, Inc - (SD) | Cooperative | 7,397 | Not reporting | |
| Dakota Energy Coop Inc | Cooperative | 3,645 | Not reporting | |
| WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration | Federal | 25 | Not reporting |
Customer counts are each utility's statewide total in South Dakota. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 & Electric Power Annual.
Local outage news
No Buffalo County outage headlines in the past week.
Nearby counties
Buffalo County power outage FAQ
Is the power out in Buffalo County right now?
No outages are currently reported for Buffalo 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 Buffalo County?
According to EIA-861 service territory data, Central Electric Coop, Inc - (SD), Dakota Energy Coop Inc, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration provide electric service in Buffalo County, South Dakota.
What was the worst power outage in Buffalo County?
The largest outage recorded by DOE's EAGLE-I system since 2014 was Apr 19, 2021. It peaked at 639 customers without power (100% of the county). NOAA storm reports for that period point to winter storm.
How often does the power go out in Buffalo County?
EAGLE-I has recorded 21 significant outages here since late 2014. From 2018 to 2025 the average customer lost about 2 hr 22 min of power per year, and on 31 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. "Buffalo County, SD Power Outages." Accessed November 3, 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/outages/south-dakota/buffalo-county