| By Big Radio News Staff |

Alliant Energy officials say the major storms that blew through Rock County Sunday night tore down trees and knocked out power to at least 11,000 people in and around the city of Janesville.

As of late Monday morning, Alliant reports about 1,000 customers remained without power.

Alliant spokesman Tony Palese says line crews are rolling throughout the area. Palese says Alliant hopes to have most customers restored by early Monday evening.

Much of the storm damage is in Janesville city limits. That’s where straight line winds clocking between 70 and 75 miles an hour tore trees up by the roots and took out powerlines Sunday night.

It brought lines down throughout the city and left a normally busy stretch of East Milwaukee Street near Courthouse Hill closed to traffic Monday, with massive downed trees fully blocking the street.

One tree cutter says the combination of torrential rain that softened the ground Sunday night and high winds is the culprit for whole trees uprooted throughout Janesville.

Officials have reported no significant injuries, and building damage apparently is limited to tree limbs down on roofs.

Anybody cleaning up a mess from the storm will have some hot, humid weather to deal with, at least for the rest of Monday. We’re expected to tap 90 degrees by mid-afternoon, but the humidity will make it feel more like 97.

Meanwhile, a chance of showers and thunderstorms continues throughout the day Monday and overnight, before that rain clears out and gives way to sun and temps in the low 80s on Wednesday.