Bismarck, North Dakota Power Outage Today

How reliable is Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) service in Bismarck?

Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) is an investor-owned utility with 98,017 customers. In 2024 its customers averaged 0.99 interruptions and 83 minutes (83 minutes) without power, so the average outage lasted 84 minutes.

Little of that came from major storms (about 6%). Without major event days the average is still 79 minutes, so the figure mostly reflects everyday faults: failed equipment, tree limbs, animals and vehicles hitting poles.

Outages are infrequent, fewer than one per customer a year, and each was fixed in 84 minutes on average.

For comparison, North Dakota as a whole averaged 99 minutes and the United States 614 minutes. That puts Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) below the state average, which is better.

Among the 11 utilities in North Dakota with at least 5,000 customers that report to the federal government, Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) ranks 5th for the fewest outage minutes (1 is best). Nationally, 73% of the 926 utilities of that size reported more outage minutes in 2024.

These are the figures the utility itself reported to the US Energy Information Administration (Form EIA-861, 2024) and describe the whole service territory, not one street. Your own address can be better or worse.

Storm season and outages in Bismarck

NOAA’s Storm Events Database lists 213 storm reports for Burleigh County from 2015 through 2026, most often hail (100), thunderstorm wind (93), tornado (12), and flash flood (6). The busiest full year was 2025 with 56 reports and the quietest was 2021 with 5, so the risk changes a lot from one year to the next.

Reports peak in June (79 since 2015), followed by July and August. October is outside those three months, so an outage now is less likely to be weather-related.

NOAA’s own narratives name power outages in 8 storm episodes in Burleigh County since 2015, most often in June. That count is a floor, since the database records outages only when a spotter or agency mentions them.

What the most common storm types in Bismarck do to the grid:

• Hail. Hail rarely cuts power by itself, but it often arrives with the wind and lightning that do, and it breaks solar panels, windshields and exposed utility equipment.
• Thunderstorm wind. Straight-line wind pushes trees and limbs into distribution lines. These outages are usually local, a street or a neighborhood at a time, and crews clear them circuit by circuit.
• Flash flood. Floodwater reaches ground-level transformers, meters and low-lying substations. Utilities may shut power off ahead of the water on purpose, and wading near flooded equipment can electrocute.

Storm reports that name Bismarck

Within Burleigh County, 109 NOAA storm reports since 2015 name Bismarck as their location or in their description: hail (57), thunderstorm wind (44), flash flood (5), and tornado (2). That is about 51% of the county’s reports, so Bismarck accounts for much of the county’s storm history. Reports naming Bismarck are most common in July. The busiest full year was 2025 with 23. These reports record 4 injuries in total.

Who a power outage hits hardest in Bismarck

66.1% of occupied homes in Bismarck are heated with piped natural gas, and 29.1% with electricity (US 41.3% electric). A gas furnace still needs electricity for its blower and ignition, so a long winter outage leaves these homes cold too, though a gas supply stays on when the grid fails. Never heat a home with an oven, grill or camp stove indoors.

Residents aged 65 or older are 19.5% of the population in Bismarck, close to the US share of 17.2% and 13.9% report a disability (US 13.3%). These are the households most likely to depend on powered medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines and refrigerated medicine. If someone in your home does, ask Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) whether it keeps a priority or medical-needs list, and register before the next storm rather than during it.

About the housing: 26.4% of the housing in Bismarck was built before 1970 (US 35.5%); 17.2% of homes are in buildings with 20 or more units (US 10.3%), where an outage also stops elevators and water pumps, which matters for upper floors and anyone who cannot use stairs.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (housing, heating fuel, age and disability tables).

Backup power and electricity use in Bismarck

The average Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) home used about 806 kWh a month in 2024 (US average 892 kWh), an average draw of 1.1 kW around the clock, and paid about 11.7 cents per kWh (11.5 in the state, 15.8 nationally), roughly $94 a month.

Keeping only the essentials on (a refrigerator, router, a few lights and phone chargers, about 400 watts) through an outage that lasts the average 84 minutes takes less than 1 kWh. A portable power station or a power bank covers that; a generator is more than most households here need for a typical outage.

A generator must never run indoors, in a garage or near a window; generator and food-safety rules are in the power outage guide linked below.

If the power is out in Bismarck

About 73,622 people live in Bismarck, the 2nd largest of the 4 North Dakota cities on this site. Report the outage to the utility so a ticket exists for your address, then check Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU)’s outage map for an estimate. If neighbors have power and you do not, report it again: the fault may be on the line to your house alone, which is a separate repair.

Bismarck power outage map

Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU)’s outage map has the official restoration estimate for your address; the count above comes from residents. Food and generator safety: power outage guide.

Bismarck power outage questions