Strong gusts and driving rain turned parts of the Milwaukee area into an obstacle course on Monday afternoon, with toppled trees and downed lines knocking out power across the region. Utility crews fanned out through neighborhoods where limbs, poles and wires blocked streets, while residents navigated blocked roads and yards littered with branches as the lights went out in pockets across the city.
By 2:15 p.m. Monday, We Energies’ outage map showed widespread problems across southeast Wisconsin: Milwaukee County with 45,252 customers without power; Racine County with 5,590; Waukesha County with 573; Washington County with 668; and Kenosha County with 505, according to WISN. The outlet reported that We Energies crews were moving quickly to repair the damage.
Storms Packed A Windy Punch
The outages followed a line of showers and embedded thunderstorms that, according to the National Weather Service, produced wind gusts up to 50 mph in parts of southeast Wisconsin. The agency issued Special Weather Statements warning that the gusts could knock down limbs and trigger isolated outages, per the National Weather Service.
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