By Trey Foerster, Publisher

An unusual ice storm hit Iola-Scandinavia on Thursday, April 2, covering the area with about a half-inch of ice. Tree damage was severe, and the ice took its toll on electrical wires and transformers throughout the area.

It took until Tuesday, April 7, to restore power to all Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative customers.

According to Taylor Adams of Alliant Energy, “The ice storm that impacted northern Wisconsin caused widespread outages, with about 1,061 customers losing power in Iola and 1,231 in Scandinavia, due to heavy icing. More than 150 Alliant Energy field workers worked around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as possible to the Marion and Amherst region, supported by crews from southern Wisconsin and Iowa who assisted with line repairs and transformer replacements. By Sunday morning, most customers in the area had their power restored.

“During storm responses,” Adams continued, “we prioritize clear communication, an urgent pace while maintaining safety, and early alignment of resources to best serve our communities. Safety remains our top priority during storm restoration, especially during ice events that create hazardous conditions for both crews and the public.

“We are grateful to the community for its patience and strong support, and we are proud of our linemen and field teams who worked in extremely challenging conditions,” Adams noted.

Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative CEO Lila Shower painted a picture of the challenges her cooperative faced.

“Think about this, we have approximately 8,400 meters in the parts of 4 counties that we serve (Portage, Waupaca, Marathon, and Shawano). During the storm, we had 30,000 restorations. That is because we have to go back to places we fixed once and fix them again. It was because each of our 8 substations lost power more than once due to downed transmission lines. We had outages in every township we serve,” she explained.

“People ‘suggested’ that we bury all our electric lines. We have 854 miles of overhead line. Some are single-phase, and some are 3-phase. Even if we assumed they were all single-phase, that would cost $42 million, or approximately $4,900 per member. Just not feasible.

“We replaced 35 poles, 15 transformers, and had 24 linemen from six other co-ops, plus our crews restoring power, 16-hour days for six days straight. I personally had about three hours of sleep each night. I ran to Stevens Point each morning for 48-54 breakfast sandwiches. I am on a first-name basis with the KwikTrip manager. We rented between 19-24 rooms each night to house our workers,” Shower continued. 

“We had one accident, a double break on an ankle. He had surgery on Wednesday and will be out for at least six weeks. The conditions they worked in were treacherous. Thursday early morning with the freezing rain and ice, then again more of the same Thursday night into Friday. We had to go back and fix some of the same areas we had just fixed the day before. And don’t forget the snow and the wind on Saturday,” she indicated.

“For the record, my power was off from Thursday morning to Monday afternoon. 

“There is a specific way to restore power. We start with the 3-phase first, and we work out from each substation. (Next is) the single phase. We start restoration where the most members are out of power. 

“We had to remove so many trees and tangled wires and broken poles before we could restring the wires,” Shower explained.

“The good news is that we won, we had all our members restored by 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. I am so proud of each and every person who helped us. I am thankful for all the local support. Countless people pitched in money and bought our crews lunch when they stopped in to eat at many different locations.  Sometimes the business owners would buy them lunch. Three out of the five nights, people brought supper for 30 people to the co-op. There are still so many great people in our communities. 

“Locals understand the crazy conditions we were working in and the physical side of removing trees. It takes hard work, and it is time-consuming,” she noted.

What follows is a day-to-day log of Facebook posts about the storm and outages from April 2 through April 7.

April 2

Central Wisconsin residents faced days of widespread power outages, downed trees, and hazardous conditions after a powerful ice storm struck the region on April 2, 2026. As of 4 p.m. that day, 23,500 customers in central Wisconsin were without electricity, according to WSAW. The hardest hit was Portage County, with 11,000 outages, followed by 2,100 in Marathon County and 600 in Wood County. Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative, or CWEC, reported outages caused by heavy ice accumulation, strong winds, fallen trees, and at least one blown transformer. A power line was downed near Nelsonville on County Q. CWEC crews worked around the clock to restore service as safely as possible.

“Power outages have been reported around our area due to the ice storm,” a HeadspringIS update stated. “CWEC crews are out. Trees are down throughout the area.”

In a Facebook post, CWEC urged residents to stay safe. “We are experiencing a variety of power outages due to the icy and windy conditions,” the cooperative stated. “All of our crews are out restoring power as quickly and safely as possible. With the current weather, more power outages are possible.”

The cooperative warned residents not to approach downed power lines, which could still be energized. It asked people to call 911 or CWEC’s office. Outages were to be reported by phone only, not through social media or email.

Community spirit shone through the hardship. The Scandinavia Public Library remained open with power and welcomed residents to charge devices, use restrooms, play board games, or borrow books.

At 1:20 p.m. April 2, the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office issued a travel advisory, urging people to stay home unless necessary.

“If you do not need to travel, please stay off the roads,” the post read. “While roadways are not currently icing over, we are dealing with numerous downed trees across the county. Many roads are blocked or detoured, creating hazardous and unpredictable driving conditions.”

Emergency responders, highway crews, and utility workers labored to clear roads and restore power. The Iola Fire and Ambulance echoed the call for caution at 2:49 p.m., citing downed trees, limbs, and power lines that might not be visible until it’s too late. The department encouraged residents to check on neighbors safely while monitoring updates.

That evening, the Iola-Scandinavia Fitness & Aquatic Center offered free showers the next day from 5 a.m. to noon as long as power held.

April 3

The storm proved especially challenging for CWEC. On April 3 at 2:07 p.m., President and CEO Lila Shower addressed members directly.

“I know everyone who is out of power is wondering when your outage will be restored,” Shower wrote. “This has been the craziest and worst outage CWEC has had in the last 25 years for sure.”

She described how restored lines would sometimes fail again within minutes as new trees fell. Transmission lines feeding eight substations also suffered outages, halting local repairs until American Transmission Co. restored them. Numerous poles required replacement, a time-consuming process. Crews from other cooperatives assisted but stopped work at 11 p.m. on April 2 due to dangerous nighttime conditions, including falling branches. They resumed at 7 a.m. April 3, focusing first on the hardest-hit northern areas.

At that point, CWEC had 110 outages affecting 4,503 members, which were more than 50 percent of its territory. Shower, who was also without power, asked residents to plan for restoration the following day rather than expect it immediately.

Waupaca County Sheriff Tim Wilz thanked the community for its coordinated response on April 3. He praised fire departments, EMS, highway crews, utility workers, street departments, deputies, police, and local governments for working tirelessly.

During the storm’s peak from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 2, the Communications Center handled nearly 400 phone calls, more than 1,500 radio transmissions, and generated over 160 calls for service. Wilz highlighted the professionalism of dispatchers and emergency management partners.

“I had the opportunity to walk into the Communications Center during that time, and what I witnessed was nothing short of outstanding,” Wilz wrote. “The teamwork, professionalism, and coordination … was truly remarkable.”

He also thanked residents for their patience and mutual support.

April 4

By April 4 at 9:30 a.m., CWEC reported 2,220 members still without power after additional outages from overnight freezing rain. Crews continued working. Local businesses stepped up: Granny’s Country Cafe in Rosholt and Kwik Trip provided free meals for linemen. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in the area opened its doors as a warming center, offering a place to charge phones, heat food, or simply regroup. The church also invited the community to its Easter breakfast fundraiser and services.

April 5

On April 5, progress accelerated. CWEC crews began at 6:30 a.m., replacing broken poles, restringing conductors, and swapping transformers while clearing remaining trees. Assistance came from multiple cooperatives: Taylor Electric, Chippewa Valley Electric, Clark Electric, Barron Electric, Price Electric, Adams Columbia Electric, Riverland Electric, and Jolma Utilities, providing a total of 12 crews and 24 linemen. By 8 p.m. April 5, only 708 members remained without power. Crews planned to work until 10 p.m. and resume at 6:30 a.m. the next day. Residents expressed gratitude, noting linemen working on Easter Sunday along roads near Knutson Lake, Wesley, and Wasrud.

April 6

April 6 updates showed continued improvement, with outages reported on various rural roads, including Wolf River Road, County G, and others. CWEC encouraged members to submit non-emergency tree work requests to prevent future issues. By 6:45 p.m., the number without power had dropped to 405. Linemen aimed to finish that day.

April 7

On April 7 at 2:15 p.m., CWEC announced it had just 11 outages. At 4:45 p.m., the cooperative confirmed full restoration.”

Power has now been restored to all members,” CWEC posted. “We know that it was a trying time for those without power, and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding during the power restoration process.”

The cooperative highlighted the dedication of its linemen and those from assisting cooperatives, sharing a photo of the crews. It also thanked businesses and community members who provided food and support.

The ice storm tested central Wisconsin, but the response revealed the strength of its people and the commitment of those who kept them safe. From utility workers braving dangerous conditions to neighbors offering warmth and first responders coordinating under pressure, the community came together until the lights came back on.