Heavy thunderstorms with 50-75 mile per hour winds caused power outages Tuesday night for Coast Electric members.

Approximately 12,000 Coast Electric members were affected, with the largest outages in Harrison County and scattered outages in Hancock and Pearl River counties.

Lightening strikes and dead trees known as “Katrina Trees” were responsible for the outages. These trees are located beyond Coast Electric’s right-of-way, but are prone to falling across power lines.

Coast Electric crews restored service to most members shortly after midnight and worked to complete restoration Wednesday.