Power was out for 777 customers as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Empire Electric Association’s outage map. The power outages were mostly in southern Cortez, in Towaoc and along U.S. Highway 160 south of Cortez. The outages affected 4.6% of Empire’s customer service area.
About 836 customers are without power, or 5% of the service area as of noon, said Andy Carter, member engagement manager for Empire. About 1,700 customers were without power earlier in the morning, and those lines have been repaired.'
An unexplained power outage temporarily hit five government and commercial meters in central Cortez about 7:30 a.m., according to Empire Electric Association. By 11:39 a.m., all power had been restored to the meters. No residential areas were impacted by the outage.