Thousands of power outages to persist as heat, humidity continue

Aimee Ambrose, Goshen News, Ind.
·2 min read

Aug. 12—GOSHEN — More than 4,400 Northern Indiana Public Service Co. customers were out of power in Goshen Thursday morning due to storms while the area is still under a heat advisory through the day. Thousands more people had no electricity across Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble and St. Joseph counties.

Many customers might not get the lights back on until Thursday night or Friday morning, according to NIPSCO estimates on the company's website.

NIPSCO's site listed the following outages in the local area, totaling more than 12,000 outages, as of 8:30 a.m.

—Bristol — 2,259

—Cromwell — 4

—Elkhart — 7

—Goshen — 4,428

—Howe — 17

—LaGrange — 166

—Middlebury — 3,376

—Milford — 3

—Millersburg — 1

—Mishawaka — 17

—Nappanee — 57

—New Paris — 3

—Shipshewana — 724

—Syracuse — 1,232

—Topeka — 395

—Wakarusa — 15

—Wolcottville — 23

Indiana-Michigan Power's website reported outages on a county-by-county basis, showing 10,549 customers were out in Elkhart County. The outages also included 2,725 in St. Joseph County and 243 in Noble County.

Among affected local services, schools were closed, as well as the Elkhart County Courthouse in Goshen. Criminal case hearings in Circuit Court, which were scheduled to be held in the courthouse, were moved to a courtroom at the Elkhart County Correctional Complex so that those cases could proceed.

Also, the Elkhart County Highway Department's phones are not working, so County Commissioner Suzanne Weirick says callers should dial 911 to report downed trees or other emergencies.

While the power outages persist, the National Weather Service has forecasted a high temperature of 89 degrees for Thursday with heat index values as high as 102. A chance for more rain and thunderstorms was also predicted for later in the afternoon.

A heat advisory remained in effect through 8 p.m.

NIPSCO estimated power would be fully restored in Bristol, Goshen, Middlebury, Milford, Nappanee, New Paris, Shipshewana, Syracuse and Wakarusa by Friday morning. Customers in Howe could be back up by midnight, according to the site.

Aimee Ambrose can be reached at aimee.ambrose@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240316. Follow her on Twitter at @aambrose_TGN.