Power Outages in South Dakota by City
South Dakota customers spent less time without power in 2024 than almost anywhere else: 85 minutes, against a US average of 611.
Power outage record for South Dakota
Worst year: 2022. Includes major storm days. Source: EIA Form 861.
- 2024: South Dakota electric customers averaged 0.81 outages and 85 minutes without power. Average across all reporting US utilities: 611 minutes. That makes South Dakota the fewest outage minutes of the 50 states.
- Storm days vs. ordinary days: leaving out major event days, the figure drops to 62 minutes (US 126). Most outage time came from everyday faults rather than a few big storms.
- Six-year record: the worst year was 2022 (327 minutes), the best 2023 (77). 2024 was well below the 2019–2023 average of 180 minutes.
- Largest utilities: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, 104,471 customers, 100 minutes; Black Hills Power, Inc., 73,846 customers, 57 minutes; NorthWestern Energy - (SD), 64,209 customers, 76 minutes.
- Spread between utilities: among 3 utilities with 25,000+ customers, Black Hills Power, Inc. had the least outage time (57 minutes) and Northern States Power Co - Minnesota the most (100 minutes). Source: EIA Form 861 reliability data, 2019–2024
- Storm record since 2015: 23,752 NOAA storm reports in South Dakota, led by thunderstorm wind 5,714, hail 4,974, high wind 2,504. Power outages are named in 84 storm episodes. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- April 10, 2019, Minnehaha (winter storm): “Up to 10,000 customers around Sioux Falls were without power at times between the evening of April 10 and April 12, as well as the communities of Humboldt and Hartford where warming shelters were established by local government.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- October 22, 2020, Minnehaha (winter weather): “Brief power outages occurred during the early morning hours to over 4000 customers.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- November 25, 2025, Day (blizzard): “Day County also suffered power outages, with a peak of 1,445 customers reporting an outage.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota serves the most customers (104,471). Source: EIA Form 861.
South Dakota ranks 1st of 7 here (1 = fewest minutes). Source: EIA Form 861.
June had the most (14). Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in South Dakota, city by city
4 South Dakota cities on this site and the electric utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our power outage guide.
- Sioux Falls Xcel Energy
- Rapid City Black Hills Energy
- Aberdeen NorthWestern Energy
- Pierre City of Pierre Utilities
Frequently asked questions
Is there a power outage in South Dakota right now?
Not on this site: no reports from South Dakota in the last 24 hours.
How long are power outages in South Dakota?
In 2024 the average South Dakota electric customer was without power for 85 minutes across 0.81 interruptions, according to EIA Form 861 data. The average across all reporting US utilities was 611 minutes.
Which South Dakota utility had the most outage time in 2024?
Among utilities with at least 25,000 customers, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota reported the most: 100 minutes per customer. Black Hills Power, Inc. reported the least.
When do storms knock out power in South Dakota?
NOAA storm reports name power outages in 84 storm episodes in South Dakota since 2015, most often in June (14 episodes).
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works