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Thunderstorm knocks out power to thousands
Photo
A pine tree was toppled along Leffingwell Road west of Tippecanoe Road in Canfield Township after a severe thunderstorm Thursday. The storm brought high winds and rain that downed tree limbs, power lines and caused power outages in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys.
Staff report
Youngstown
A fast-moving thunderstorm Thursday left nearly 3,400 residents throughout the Mahoning and Shenango valleys without power for several hours.
At 8 p.m., FirstEnergy’s website reported 1,204 customers in Youngstown, 575 in Girard, and 705 in Liberty were without power.
There also were reports of telephone service out on Youngstown’s South Side.
The power outages occurred after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued around 1 p.m. for Mahoning, Trumbull, Mercer, Lawrence, and Columbiana counties, said 21 WFMJ-TV weather anchor Jess Briganti.
She said a tornado warning was then issued for Trumbull and Mercer counties until around 2 p.m.
Emergency crews in both those counties didn’t report any touchdowns, but did experience downed power lines and trees.
Mercer County emergency officials said two residents reported that transformers were struck by lighting, but there were no injuries.
The severe thunderstorm warning expired at 7:15 p.m., while a severe thunderstorm watch remained in effect until 10 p.m. for Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Lawrence and Mercer counties.
Briganti said the severe weather was a result of warm air mixing with a cold front. She said residents should expect more rain today, but the rest of the weekend should remain dry and cooler with high temperatures remaining in the low 80s Saturday and Sunday.