NORMAL - About 5,100, AmerenIP customers northeast of Normal were without power at various times Sunday afternoon. Power to all but about 60 customers was restored about 4:00 p.m.

The outages, due to downed lines caused by gusting winds, were in an area from I-39, east to I-55, and north to near Pontiac. Towns affected included Towanda, Lexington, Chenoa and Gridley.

Ameren spokesperson Erica Abett said that crews have been working to restore outages as they occur. Power interruptions began early Sunday morning, she said, reaching a peak about 1:00 p.m,

"Until the winds die down, it is likely that there could be more. We should have everyone back on line by 6:00 p.m., but crews with be standing by to deal with any new one."