Freezing rain and gusting winds caused power outages and slippery conditions in and around DeKalb Thursday.

Don Sibigtroth, spokesman for Commonwealth Edison, said customers in Earlville, Shabbona and Waterman were without electricity for three hours starting at 10:30 a.m. Reports from DeKalb included blinking lights and service interruptions lasting a few seconds, he said.

Ice buildup caused the main line into the service area to break, resulting in the power failure, Sibigtroth said.

“Ice buildup on the conductors, combined with the wind, caused the conductors to sway back and forth,” Sibitroth said. The fuses then “knocked in and out” causing the lights to blink, he said.

The weather also caused slippery conditions in some areas and several minor accidents. DeKalb County Sheriff’s Police reported four weather-related accidents, with no injuries, by 4 p.m. Thursday.

John Conlin, DeKalb street supervisor, said city trucks continually salted DeKalb’s main arterial streets to prevent ice buildup.

Salt is effective in melting snow only to approximately 18 degrees, he said. Liquid calcium chloride is added to salt to melt ice at temperatures as low as _5, Conlin added.

Tim Destri, a student with NIU Weather Service, said the forecast for Friday calls for an end to precipitation with temperatures expected to be in the low 30s.