Friday, March 25, 2016
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
Heavy rain in some areas accompanied by high winds gusting to 45 mph at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, brought tree limbs down over electric lines, knocking out power to some 400 homes and businesses in the area.
According to the National Weather Service in Cleveland, wind gusts of 33 mph were recorded in Newton Falls, 30 mph in Austintown and 23 mph in Boardman at about 8:25 p.m. The Akron-Canton Airport reported gusts of 52 mph at about 6 p.m.
At 10 p.m., Eric Wilhelm, chief meteorologist at 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner, said a band of heavy rain was going through the area, particularly in Warren, and that it would stay windy through several hours.
However, Wilhelm predicted the wind would diminish and the rain be mainly gone by this morning, but the temperatures would be much colder, in the upper 30s and lower 40s, nearly 30 degrees lower than Thursday.
By 9 p.m. Thursday, according to WFMJ, FirstEnergy reported 272 customers without power in Girard, Liberty and Mesopotamia in Trumbull County and 20 to 100 customers along state Route 170 near Lake Newport in Youngstown.
Among 59 Mahoning County homes and businesses without electricity, 45 were in Poland. Other outages were also reported in Canfield, Ellsworth and Green townships.
Power was expected to be restored by midnight Thursday, WFMJ reported.