AUBURN – Strong winds following afternoon thunderstorms brought down tree limbs and cut power to at least 1,600 people in the Lewiston-Auburn area for more than an hour Sunday evening – including the 911 dispatch center for the Twin Cities.

A representative from Central Maine Power said that the Auburn power outage – which cut service to the communication center that dispatches 911 calls for both cities – stemmed from several downed wires on Minot Avenue between the rotary and Poland Road.

Dispatchers used an alternative communication system during the outage.

In addition to the Minot Avenue lines that were down, Lt. Rick Coron of the Auburn Police Department said that there were also reports of a large tree down on Park Avenue and debris being blown off a building at the intersection of Mill and Broad streets.

Across the state, more than 4,200 residents and businesses were left in the dark after wind gusts between 40 and 50 miles per hour blew following afternoon rains.

The winds came as part of a cold front that also dropped temperatures and prompted several frost advisories throughout the region.

“We’re in that period where we’re transitioning,” said Michael Cempa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. “We want to get warm here, but the cold air just wants to hang around.”

Cempa said that the next couple days will bring a mix of sunshine and possible showers, with temperatures still on the chilly side.