ST. CHARLES • Firefighters said an indirect lightning strike injured a mail carrier early Thursday afternoon.

Capt. Dan Casey of the St. Charles Fire Department said the man was delivering mail in a truck about 12:30 p.m. when he touched a metal mailbox in the 100 block of Hastings Way. Lightning struck nearby and traveled through the mailbox, he said.

Casey said the mail carrier called 911. He had chest pains and shortness of breath, but he was alert when paramedics arrived.

Stormy weather toppled tree limbs and power lines in several areas of St. Charles County. Casey said wind caused some damage to tents on St. Charles' Main Street, where vendors were setting up for the Festival of the Little Hills.

Lt. Craig McGuire of the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department said power lines and tree branches were down in several places off of Highway 94 near Pralle Lane and near Jungs Station Road.