About 1,700 Lake Country Power members have no power today after severe winds blew through the Iron Range Sunday night.
The areas of Britt, Sand Lake, Aurora and Gilbert were hit the hardest, said Tami Zaun, public relations coordinator for Lake Country Power.
"It was a very strong blast of high winds that came through the area toppling trees onto power lines," she said. "Some of the poles are broken and lines are down."
It could be a few days before power is restored, because many downed trees are blocking roadways, Zaun said.
Reports of tornadoes haven't been confirmed, said Carol Christenson of the National Weather Service in Duluth. Wind speeds were clocked at 58 mph at a Gilbert campground, she said, but there were probably much higher winds elsewhere in the region.
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Zaun said tree damage from the Sunday night storm, which began about 6 p.m., was extensive.
"Some of these trees are more than likely weakened from the last blow-through," she said. "It's really not going to take much wind and these trees are going to go over. ... We've been hit really hard this summer."
Lake Country Power's Mountain Iron crews are working to restore power, along with crews from Kettle River and Grand Rapids.
