Mecca, Bazetta, Champion and Hartford townships were hit hard

Staff/wire reports

CORTLAND

High wind gusts, heavy rain and scattered hail Sunday left thousands of First Energy customers in the Mahoning Valley without power.

Trumbull County was particularly hard hit, with the First Energy website reporting 2,423 customers without electricity about 6:15 p.m. The storm rolled through the area about 4 p.m.

First Energy estimated that power would be restored in most areas by 3 a.m. today.

According to the First Energy website, Mecca Township in Trumbull had 542 of its 1,186 customers without power.

Other areas with high numbers of outages were Bazetta Township with 376, Bristol Township with 148, Champion Township with 307 and Hartford Township with 255.

The First Energy website indicates zero outages in Columbiana and Mahoning counties as of 6:45 p.m. Sunday.

Thunderstorms in parts of Ohio brought powerful winds that caused some reported damage, according to the Associated Press.

Many counties in Northeast Ohio were under a severe thunderstorm watch or warning Sunday as a front moved through the state.

In Sandusky, a spokesman for Cedar Point amusement park says traffic there was diverted after a nearby roadway was closed as a result of downed power lines and debris from the storm.

The spokesman says Cedar Point will be closed today as utility crews work to repair the downed power lines. The park plans to reopen Tuesday.