6:30 p.m., Thursday, August 13, 2026
Summary
A severe storm system producing wind speeds up to 70 mph impacted the North-Central and eastern portion of the Ameren Illinois service territory this afternoon. Outages peaked at around 26,000 at around 2:45 p.m.
CURRENT SITUATION
- Approximately 23,000 customers are without power at the time of this report. Nearly all of the remaining outages are in the Bloomington-Normal area.
- Multiple sub transmission poles, distribution poles and transmission structures are down throughout the Bloomington-Normal region.
- Today is move in day for returning Illinois State University students, making local travel conditions difficult. Crews worked swiftly to restore power at ISU by 6 pm.
- See the Ameren outage map for the latest: www.ameren.com/outagemap
CREWS AND CONTRACT RESOURCES
- Crews are currently assessing the significant damage in McLean County. Crews (damage assessors, line workers, tree trimmers, safety personnel, etc.) are on site and additional crew members are in route from contract companies and other Ameren regions.
OUTAGE RESTORATION
Restoration work is underway; additional resources are expected to arrive tonight to continue restoration on Friday morning.
- Peoria Area – Expected to have power restored tonight.
- Champaign/Danville – Expected to have power restored tonight.
- Bloomington-Normal – Restoration times are being determined. Customers will be notified of the status of their individual outage.
COMMUNICATION
- The Community Relations team is keeping community officials, critical care customers, and emergency management contacts informed about restoration progress.
- Outage details and safety information are available at Ameren.com/outage. Customers and media can also receive updates on outage restoration by following the Ameren Illinois news feed at X/AmerenIllinois and Facebook.com/AmerenIllinois
CUSTOMER SAFETY
- Safety is the first and foremost concern during any weather event. Stay clear of any downed power lines or poles, as well as brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide them. Always assume a downed wire is live.
- Customers should report any downed power lines to Ameren Illinois via the app or customer service line (800-755-5000).
- If the power is out, check circuit breakers or fuses – an outage might be the result of a household problem. Avoid any risk of electrical shock and do not enter any flooded areas.
- Generator Safety - https://www.ameren.com/company/safety/extreme-weather-safety/portable-generator-safety
