Over 40K Customers Lose Power in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Crews are working to repair electrical lines brought down by the heavy, wet snow that fell across parts of northern Iowa, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Xcel Energy says more than 29,000 of its Minnesota and Wisconsin customers were still without power around midday Thursday. Red Wing, Minn., which got 10 inches, was among the hardest hit area with more than 5,000 customers out. Xcel is urging residents to stay away from downed lines.

Rochester Public Utilities says about 10,000 of its customers lost power Thursday morning, though crews managed to reduce that number to about 2,600 around noon.

And in northern Iowa, more than 5,000 customers of several utilities lost power. The storm dumped nearly a foot of snow in parts of Iowa from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.