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Major winter storm leaves over 10,000 without power in southern Wisconsin
Madison, Wis. — Crews from Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (WPL), an Alliant Energy Company, have been deployed across southern Wisconsin in response to today’s major winter storm. Heavy, wet snow and high winds, with gusts exceeding 50-miles-per-hour, are passing through the heart of WPL’s utility service territory. The winter blast and blizzard conditions have damaged electric structures, poles, and lines, causing widespread customer outages, leaving over 10,000 customers without power this afternoon.
Damage assessments, repair work and crew staging have been occurring in areas stretching from Green and Iowa Counties in the southwest to Fond du Lac and Green Lake Counties in the northeast with Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green, Green Lake, Iowa and Rock Counties especially hard hit. Contractor crews have also been called in to support the restoration effort.
Crews have quickly worked to restore power to customers and will continue work this evening to restore power to as many customers as possible. However, it is likely in many areas where the worst damage occurred that customers will be without power for several hours and that some customers may not be restored until tomorrow.
The continuing high winds, additional icing and falling trees and tree limbs continue to extend storm restoration efforts. In addition, blowing and drifting snow has made travel difficult for crews and some roads, especially in rural areas, are nearly impassable at this time. As the evening progresses, many counties are pulling their snowplows from roadways for safety reasons.
As of 5:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, the homes and businesses of approximately 9,400 WPL customers in Wisconsin remained without electric service. As the winds increase in eastern Wisconsin, additional customers may be impacted. Alliant Energy customers experiencing an electric outage are encouraged to call 1-800-ALLIANT (1-800-255-4268).
“We appreciate our customers’ patience in this situation,” said Diane Schuler, Director of Energy Delivery Resources. “We understand how frustrating it can be to be without electric service for extended periods of time, and are committed to restoring all of our customers as quickly and safely as we can.”
Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), based in Madison, Wis., provides electric service to approximately 459,000 customers and natural gas service to approximately 180,000 customers in more than 600 communities across central and southern Wisconsin. WPL is committed to providing the energy and exceptional service its customers and communities expect – safely, reliably, and affordably. WPL is a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation, for more information, visit alliantenergy.com or call 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268).
