Storms packing high winds buffet Indiana, Illinois, cutting power to more than 400,000 customers

Strong storms packing winds gusting as high as 70 mph (112.65 kilometers per hour) buffeted Indiana and Illinois on Thursday, cutting power to more than 400,000 customers at times.

The storms toppled semitrailers on highways and blew tree limbs into power lines and onto houses and cars, causing sporadic damage, news outlets reported.

The National Weather Service said it measured a 70 mph wind gust near Indianapolis International Airport at 3:47 p.m. EDT.

Shortly before 6 pm EDT, Ameren Illinois reported more than 175,000 customers without service, Duke Energy tallied more than 147,000 customers in central and southern Indiana in the dark, AES Indiana said more than 49,000 customers in the Indianapolis area had no power, and City Water, Light and Power in Springfield, Illinois, tallied more than 34,000 customers without service.