By Kim McDarison

We Energies has reported that heavy snow and gusty winds have interrupted power across the state, with customers in both Fort Atkinson and Whitewater affected by Friday’s storm, according to its website.

As of 8:15 p.m., the site stated that new outages were still “coming in and will likely continue to be reported into the morning.”

A snapshot by county noted that some 63,862 customers across Wisconsin were experiencing outages, with 1,561 of them located in Jefferson County. Another 576 were reported in Walworth County.

Breaking those numbers down by municipality, the website reported that 1,558 customers in Fort Atkinson were without power, along with 100 customers identified as living in Whitewater.

In Fort Atkinson, as of 7:47 p.m., 1,507 customers living in the vicinity of Hackbarth Road, on the city’s south side, were reported to be without power.

In Whitewater, within the city limits, as of 5:02 p.m., two customers were listed as in need of power restoration, with another 83 customers awaiting restoration in rural Walworth County east of Whitewater Lake.

One customer in the town of Koshkonong was reported to be without power.

Hardest hit areas were identified as Milwaukee, with 16,584 customers without power and New Berlin, with 8,489 households experiencing power outages.

A full list of counties and municipalities experiencing power outages is here: https://www.we-energies.com/outagesummary/view/outagegrid.

Restoration efforts are slowed by hazardous travel conditions and “some nearly impassable roads,” the company noted on its website. 

“Our crews are also dealing with downed power lines across streets, roads and neighborhoods. Crews are working as quickly and safely as possible, however some customers may be without power well into the weekend,” the site reported.

The company advises customers to visit the We Energies outage map to find estimated restoration times in their neighborhoods.