Feb 16, 2021

Freeze prompts rolling outages in parts of Nebraska, Iowa

Posted Feb 16, 2021 4:03 PM

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A second day of Arctic temperatures across Middle America have prompted rolling power outages in Nebraska and a call for energy conservation in Iowa.

Residents in Nebraska experienced some of the coldest weather they've seen early Tuesday, putting a strain on the power grid that saw the state's power utilities implementing rolling outages.

Omaha Public Power District, which serves multiple counties around Omaha, reported around 30,000 customers without power in areas mostly south of Dodge Street, which bisects the city.

The Lincoln Electric System reported nearly 15,000 customers without power for a time Tuesday morning.

In Iowa where overnight lows dipped to around 30 below zero in some places, MidAmerican Energy issued a plea for residents to dial back power use.