Power outages hitting mid-Missouri amid ice
Parts of mid-Missouri were without power Thursday as rain and plunging temperatures coated trees and power lines with ice.
Columbia Water and Light reported 224 customers without power at about noon in three separate outages. Water and Light spokeswoman Lissie Wade said ice on tree limbs that has caused limbs to fall into power lines is the primary cause of Thursday’s outages. It wasn’t clear when power would be restored.
By 3 p.m. that number was down to 33.
We have approx. 33 customers w/o power due to ice causing tree limbs to fall into power lines. Crews are working diligently to restore power. If you are experiencing an outage, call https://t.co/4fQwYGBnog (2489) and you can view our outage map at https://t.co/hMsjsJJ6CD. pic.twitter.com/Vg42tUrRKD
— Columbia Water&Light (@CoMoWaterLight) February 7, 2019
About than 900 customers in Centralia were without power in the area near Centralia High School beginning at 4:15 a.m. Power was mostly restored in the area by 10 a.m. Centralia Water and Light crews said there was a quarter-inch of ice on trees, causing heavy branches to fall on power lines. Crews were concerned that expected wind would cause further issues with power outages.
Crews removed trees from the power lines, which affected neighborhoods around Centralia High School. Centralia Public schools were closed Thursday, so students were not affected.
Nearly 1,000 customers were reported without power at one point Thursday morning near Prairie Home, but power was restored before noon. According to the Ameren outage map, 48 customers in Hallsville were without power.
The outages were due to ice on power lines and trees in the area, according to an Ameren spokesman.
A little more than 100 Howard Electric Co-op cutomers were without power, accoriding to the Missouri Electric Cooperatives outage map, and more than 200 Co-Mo Electric Co-op members were without power at about 9:30 a.m.. In Cooper County 117 customers remained without power by noon.
The Boone County Fire Department urged people to be aware of safety tips if they are using a generator.
Power outages are being reported in parts of Boone County. If you’re using a generator, please use it safely! pic.twitter.com/SrVxiuB9z0
— Boone County Fire (@BooneCountyFire) February 7, 2019
