Storm knocks out power to more than 1,000 Jamestown homes

More than 1,000 Jamestown households were without power after a strong thunderstorm swept across the city late Tuesday, leaving neighborhoods in the dark while residents checked Otter Tail Power’s outage map for updates. At 1 a.m. on June 10, 2026, the outage count was still above 1,000, making the blackout the most immediate problem for many homes in Jamestown.

The storm brought more than just a brief burst of wind. Rain continued for several hours beginning around the 11 p.m. hour, and the National Weather Service reported wind gusts up to 70 mph at the Jamestown Municipal Airport. A trained spotter also reported quarter-sized hail. For households already dealing with an overnight outage, that combination meant more than inconvenience: it threatened refrigeration, cooling, alarms and charging, all of which matter most when a storm hits after dark.

Otter Tail Power directs customers to its outage map for near-real-time information on current outages in its service area, and the utility also takes outage reports by phone at 1-800-257-4044. In a storm like this, the practical first step for Jamestown residents is to confirm whether their neighborhood is included, then report any downed lines or other electrical hazards through the utility’s outage system rather than trying to handle them directly. The outage left many households facing the same overnight questions, from whether food would stay cold to how long they could safely wait for service to return.

The Jamestown outage unfolded as part of a broader severe-weather outbreak across North Dakota. KSJB reported at least two tornadoes elsewhere in the state, one near Northgate and another near Flaxton, underscoring how widely the system spread beyond Stutsman County. The National Weather Service Bismarck office keeps a severe-weather event summary archive that shows June outbreaks with tornadoes, destructive winds and large hail are a recurring threat in the state.

The weather figures from Jamestown are early public reports, not a final damage assessment. The National Weather Service notes that airport observations are only specific points and may not capture the full extent of nearby storm damage, which is why radar, storm spotters and emergency-management reports matter when the final picture is assembled. As utility crews work through the outage list, the next 24 hours will show how much of Jamestown’s late-night disruption was limited to the grid and how much cleanup the storm left behind across Stutsman County.