UPDATE | Valley roughed up by latest volley of storms

YOUNGSTOWN — From blinding rain in Boardman to wires down in the city, emergency crew are being kept busy this hour after the latest storms to move through the Valley.

According to First Energy's website, 30,588 area customers are without power in the Valley: 14,264 in Mahoning County; 13,961 in Trumbull County; and 2,363 in Columbiana County.

Among many reports, Vindicator reporters and photographers have witnessed:

• Damage at Six Brothers auto sales at 935 Oak St. in the city.

• A tree blocking Salem Warren Road in Goshen Township.

• Trees damaged on Hartford Avenue in the city.

• Trees and wires down on Midlothian Boulevard and Hillman Street.

• The plaza at 1260 S. Schenley Ave. evacuated and a road closed between Bears Den and Decamp Roads because of a downed power line.

In addition:

• Officials said there is much damage to the Mill Creek MetroParks.

• Austintown Fire Chief Andy Frost said his crews have dealt with a lot of downed power lines and a lot of trees that had fallen on homes in the township.

• Due to power outages, the Barnes & Noble on the Youngstown University campus has closed.

• A tree slammed into a home at Omar and Argonne Streets in Struthers about 3 p.m. today. No one was injured. Struthers Firefighter Brian Stellato said the volume of citywide calls to first-responders had been manageable, even as a storm wreaked havoc throughout the Valley.

The city fire department, however, is relying on backup generators after losing power.

Part of the Mahoning Valley remains under a tornado watch until 7 p.m.

The heavy rain in the area should be done around 5 p.m., said Jim Kosarik, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

The National Weather Service had representatives in Boardman today looking to determine if a tornado touched down in the township on Sunday, Kosarik said.

It doesn’t appear as though it was a tornado, and was a microburst, which is thunderstorm winds, Kosarik said.

These Mahoning County roads are closed due to down wires and storm damage, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced: state Route 534 between U.S. Route 62 and state Route 165; and state Route 626 between state Routes 164 and 7.