7:50 p.m., March 19, 2025
As of 7:30 p.m., we’ve restored power to roughly 37% of the outages from our peak of 106,000 today. As conditions improve and more mutual aid arrives, we’ll get a better idea of the pace we can move at to restore the remaining customer outages in the coming days.
Unfortunately, due to the widespread damage and poor visibility, we do not have detailed estimated restoration times right now, though we will provide more information as soon as it becomes available. Because of the nature of this storm, and the damage we’re seeing to poles and equipment, this will be a multiday outage event. Barring unforeseen circumstances, power may be restored by end of day Monday, though for a majority it may be restored sooner.
This storm left a large swath of damaged poles in its path. In fact, more than 270 poles have been damaged and need replaced. Thankfully, replacement poles will arrive tomorrow for crews to begin extensive restoration work. We’re also grateful for the additional 125 mutual aid crew members who will also be arriving tomorrow, to include transmission, downed-line and tree crews. As weather conditions improve, we will work through the night to continue to restore power, as safely as possible.
The photos below are just a snapshot of the hazardous conditions and extensive damage are crews are navigating. We’re grateful for your grace and patience as we navigate these conditions.
5:40 p.m., March 19, 2025
We now have more than 250 field workers and contractors working as quickly as possible through the blizzard to restore everyone’s power.
Their safety in these conditions is our top priority. A lot of the damage they’ve encountered will require extensive and complex repair work, which is challenging even in ideal weather. Right now, our workers are dealing with poor visibility, powerful wind gusts, slick and sometimes impassable roads, and heavy snow. Restoration will take time, and we want to thank customers in advance for their patience.
Given the nature of this storm and the extent and type of damage discovered so far, we believe this restoration will be a multiday event. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we expect to have all customers restored by the end of Monday. However, we expect that most customers will be restored before then. Please plan accordingly for your specific needs, and above all, please stay safe.
We’ve requested extra help from our mutual assistance partners. Many Nebraska utilities are dealing with their own outages and aren’t able to respond right away, so any additional support will likely come from farther away.
As the weather stabilizes, we should have better information to share, including more precise estimated restoration times. We’ll keep you posted with more information as soon as we have it.
3 p.m., March 19, 2025
Our field workers and contractors are working hard right now to restore power as quickly as possible in the blizzard, despite some treacherous and challenging conditions.
Strong, gusting winds have toppled several dozen poles and many overhead wires throughout our service territory. A lot of roads are unpassable due to heavy snow, icy conditions and poor visibility, especially in rural areas. This makes it extremely difficult to complete damage assessments and repairs.
We want to emphasize that we will work around the clock and do everything we safely can to restore power to everyone.
As of 3 p.m., we have 95,098 customers without power. More than half of those are in Douglas County. About 16,000 of those customers are in Sarpy County. We have a large number of outages in nearly every county in our service territory.
Please exercise extreme caution and avoid travel if at all possible. If you see fallen power poles or electrical wires on the ground, stay far away and contact OPPD at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report the hazard as soon as possible.
Below is a photo of downed poles and wires in La Vista. This is the type of damage we’re encountering, and it will take some time to repair even after conditions improve. Thank you in advance for your patience.
12:30 p.m., March 19, 2025
We now more than 48,000 customers without power as blizzard conditions continue. A lot of the initial damage our system experienced has been in the north rural area where snow was heaviest and winds strongest. Our damage assessment teams are estimating 50 or 60 utility poles were knocked down by strong winds in that area alone. With the weather not yet letting up, we’re expecting to see the outage situation get worse before it gets better.
OPPD is working hard to make repairs as they are safely able to do so. We’re fully staffed and are also getting assistance from our contractors with LE Myers and Watts, as well as contracted tree crews on standby as needed. We are seeking more mutual aid assistance; however, our closest utilities here in Nebraska are also dealing with thousands of power outages caused by this storm system.
We won’t let up on our restoration efforts. We hope to be able to provide a better idea of when customers’ power will be restored as we get deeper into our damage assessment efforts. Meantime, we continue to stress safety among our crews and our customers. Should you encounter downed power lines, stay far back. Assume they are live, high-voltage and extremely dangerous. Call us at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report the hazard as soon as possible.
You can also report power outages via that number if you have not already done so or online, or via our OPPDConnect app. Thanks to our impacted customers for your patience as we work through extremely challenging conditions.
10:47 a.m. – Outages have escalated to 30,575. Our crews are assessing the damage and the causes. However, we have dozens of utility poles broken and wires down due to strong winds. We remind our customers to stay safe around downed lines. Always assume they are live and high voltage. Stay far back and call us at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report the hazard.
It’s likely that trees and limbs falling into power lines are also a factor, as well. This is typically a bigger problem in older parts of town with large, mature trees. Ice on power lines and galloping lines has also been a problem we’re seeing. You can read more about this issue and see video of it in this story on The Wire.
We continue to troubleshoot and make repairs as it is safe to do so. However, our crews must put safety first and take breaks until dangerous conditions like whiteout or low visibility on roadways. Because of this, travel is slow-going, particularly in rural areas where infrastructure is spread across a larger area. Read more about the challenges our crews face in rural areas here on The Wire.
9:50 a.m. – At this time, 23,514 customers are without power. OPPD crews are responding as quickly as safely possible. Windy conditions and low visibility are making that challenging. We thank our impacted customers for their patience during this time. We are working on getting mutual aid support to help in our restoration work.
The below photo was taken this morning at 300th St. and Pawnee Rd., where strong winds knocked down at least one power line. OPPD crews are assessing further damage.
8:45 a.m. – Outages are up to 12,806. Please continue to report outages online, via our OPPDConnect app or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773). If you see a downed power line, call us at that number and stay far back. Always assume it is live, high-voltage and extremely dangerous.
8:24 a.m. – Outages are up to 10,535. Our crews will continue to troubleshoot and make repairs as quickly as safely possible. We have reports of a lot of damage in the North Bend area, including reports of wires on the ground. We do not yet have an estimated restoration time. But we will provide updates as we are able to make better assessments.
8:10 a.m. – At this time, we have 8,485 customers without power with the largest numbers north and west of the Omaha metro. We’re continuing to focus on crew safety, which is delaying our response in areas where we’re still seeing a lot of lightning.
8 a.m. – We currently have 7,496 customers without power. The largest number is currently in Saunders County where more than 3,200 customers are without power. Nearly 2,500 are without power in Dodge County, and nearly 3,200 in Saunders County and 935 in Washington County, more than 300 in Colfax County and nearly 400 in Douglas County.
With lightning presenting hazards, our crews have had to take a break to ensure their safety. They will be back out making repairs just as soon as the conditions ease up.
7:30 a.m. – More outages are continuing to be reported. At this time, 5,601 customers are without power.
Among these outages are a couple of circuit outages in the North Bend area of Dodge County that have 1,022 customers in the dark at 6:35 a.m. Those impacted are between County Roads L and S, between County Roads 10 and 13, as well as between County Roads R and S, between County Roads 10 and 29. We also have more than 1,000 customers out in the Blair area and scattered outages across multiple counties.
Our crews are responding to troubleshoot and make repairs as quickly as safely possible. If you experience an outage, please be sure to report it online, via our OPPDConnect app or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
6:30 a.m. – Power was restored to the outage near downtown Omaha at 6:18 a.m.
6 a.m. – Our crews are continuing to respond to power outages that have been popping up with lightning and wind that’s been moving through our service territory. Currently, we have 2,729 reports of customers are without power. That number will likely grow as other customers wake up to realize their power is out and report it to us. If you experience an outage, please be sure to report it online, via our OPPDConnect app or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
4:50 a.m. – Overnight, a circuit outage south of Downtown Omaha left 2,414 customers without power. The outage started at 12:52 a.m. Troubleshooters trimmed back trees near 20th & Martha, which restored power to some customers at 3:36 a.m. However, 2,386 remain the dark. They are continuing to try to determine other contributors.
Meantime, OPPD is responding to reports of more scattered power outages, including a couple hundred in Saunders County. A total of 2,678 are in the dark at this time.
5:15 p.m., March 18, 2025 – March seems to have an identity crisis. One day, it’s a lamb. The next, it’s a lion. More winter weather and strong wind are expected to create blizzard conditions Wednesday. OPPD is ready to respond in the event of power outages.
You can take these simple steps to prepare for that possibility. And be sure and secure loose objects in your yard, like patio furniture and trampolines. They can fly into power lines and cause service disruptions.
If you experience an outage, please be sure to report it online, via our OPPDConnect app or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
We will post updates here as conditions may warrant.
