Storms cause power outages

Tornado sirens rang throughout Bloomington Tuesday in the midst of a severe thunderstorm that left trees and power lines down and traffic lights out along College Mall Road and State Road 45/46. A firefighter sighted a funnel cloud south of Bloomington and reported it to dispatch but no damage has been reported. \nNational Weather Service Meteorologist Jason Puma said this is typical weather for Indiana this time of the year. He said the summer usually brings severe weather while Midwest forecasts can have varied predictions. Puma said more activity is usually present in the earlier part of the summer, which tends to last from late May to late July or early August. Typical severe weather patterns occur throughout these months.\n"Sometimes (thunderstorms) are severe, sometimes they are not," Puma said. "You should expect more weather like this (throughout the summer)."\nThe cable override system was out Tuesday and not available on-air. The sirens, however, remained in working condition during the storm. \nAlthough there was severe weather Tuesday, the National Weather Service did not establish a tornado warning for Monroe County, said John Hooker III, director of Monroe County Emergency Management.\nMonroe County Sheriff Steve Sharp said a tornado was sighted near Harrell Road on the city's southeast side, although no damages were reported. \nHowever, the storm did leave many Bloomington residents without power. Approximately 8,500 Bloomington Cinergy customers lost power, and as of 8 a.m., Wednesday, 2,300 were still out of power. More than 136,000 Cinergy customers lost power statewide.\n"The Bloomington district is primarily Monroe County," said Angeline Protogere, a spokeswoman for Cinergy. "The number is from the county, not just Bloomington."\nSome residences have yet to receive power. These residents are located in "patches" that have yet to be attended to as of press time.\n"We expect that of the customers that still don't have power, it (should) be back on by (Wednesday evening)," Protogere said.\nIn the event that power goes out and sirens are sounded, those living in apartment buildings should seek refuge on the first floor or go to the lowest point of the building, Hooker said. It is recommended to go into a room without windows to heighten safety.\n-- Contact City & State editor Andrea Opperman at acopperm@indiana.edu