A vehicle striking an Austin Utilities power distribution pole caused a significant power outage early Thursday morning.

According to AU General Manager Mark Nibaur, the outage occurred at about 1 a.m. on Thursday. A vehicle had slid off the road and struck the pole, located on Highway 218 near County Road 3 and the Austin Municipal Airport.

Over 1,500 AU customers in Northeast and Southeast Austin lost power, Nibaur said. It took AU crews over three hours to restore power, with power restored to most customers by 4:15 a.m.

Nibaur said weather was a factor in the repair process as crews had to clear snow in order to get the pole.