Thunderstorms' high winds cut power to 50K in NW Indiana

MUNSTER, Ind. (AP) - High winds produced by thunderstorms have cut power to nearly 50,000 homes and businesses in northwestern Indiana.

Northern Indiana Public Service Co.'s website shows that about 49,000 of the utility's customers were out of power just before noon Monday.

Most of the outages were in the city of Gary, but outages were also affecting homes and businesses in Hammond, East Chicago, Merrillville and other northwestern Indiana communities.

NIPSCO officials tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times that crews were being dispatched to repair power lines in the region and customers are being reminded to stay away from fallen power lines and damaged utility poles.

The National Weather Service says Monday's thunderstorms could produce winds in excess of 60 mph (96 kilometers per hour), and drop heavy rainfall.