RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) – Utility crews from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York are helping Vermont workers restore power following a series of strong thunderstorms that left tens of thousands of customers without electricity Saturday.

It could be Tuesday before all Vermonters have their power restored. The storms produced high winds and lightning, knocking down trees and power lines across central Vermont.

The Central Vermont Public Service Corporation said about 33,000 of its customers lost power.

CVPS spokeswoman Christine Rivers said 34 utility crews were brought in from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and other parts of Vermont to help repair the damage.

“We’ll work around the clock until every customer is restored,” she said.

Overnight Saturday service was restored to about 19,000 customers.

Rutland County was hit the hardest hit area. But Windsor, Orange and Bennington counties also saw major outages.

AP-ES-08-26-07 1537EDT