DULUTH — Powerful winds have whipped up big waves along the shores of Lake Superior, flooding a business district and causing power outages.

According to a press release, the National Weather Service said winds of 64 mph were reported at the Duluth harbor Wednesday. The gale-force winds were creating waves as high as 14 to 18 feet. The Canal Park business district near the lake was flooded and the city closed Canal Park Drive until further notice. City officials urged residents to stay away from the lakeshore.

The high wind knocked out service for about 1,700 Minnesota Power customers in the Duluth area Wednesday morning.

The weather service issued a lakeshore flooding warning until 4 p.m. Wednesday for Duluth and Superior and Ashland in Wisconsin.

Elsewhere in northern Minnesota, rain was changing to snow with accumulations of at least 6 inches by early Thursday.