Close to 2,400 AEP customers in Lancaster still without power after high winds

Taijuan Moorman and Mark Ferenchik, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read

Close to 2,400 AEP Ohio customers in Lancaster are still without power after strong winds and heavy rains blew through the area earlier this evening.

As of 8:40 p.m., another 386 customers in the Polaris area of Delaware County also have no power, according to AEP Ohio's outage map. At one time tonight, more than 1,500 in that area were out.

Another 451 are still dealing with an outage in the Baltimore area of Fairfield County. And 136 customers had no power near Ohio Dominican University on the Northeast Side.

In AEP Ohio's service area statewide, 3,837 customers were without power as of 9 p.m., AEP Ohio spokesman Mike Lascola said.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington, which predicted the severe storms, has ended the severe thunderstorm watch. John Glenn Columbus International Airport recorded a high-wind gust of 36 mph at 5:18 p.m., said Christine Aiena, a meteorologist in Wilmington.

The thunderstorm watch came less than a week after damaging winds left thousands without power last weekend.

The National Weather Service is calling for more showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 a.m. Thursday, with a low around 46. Meanwhile, winds could gust as high as 32 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90% with new rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Here's what you need to know for the weather forecast in Columbus.

Severe weather: Weekly tornado siren testing canceled in Franklin County as storms expected

Wednesday forecast

On Wednesday, cloudy skies will keep the temperature near 82 degrees, with a chance of precipitation at 30%. Thunderstorms, paired with heavy rains and damaging winds, are expected to roll in after 4 p.m. Isolated hail and tornadoes are also possible.

A gusty southwest wind will also contribute to the stormy conditions at 14 to 23 mph, but could reach as high as 38 mph.

The thunderstorms will continue to rage on Wednesday night, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms through the night. Some of the storms could again be severe, with new rainfall between a quarter and half of an inch possible. The low is expected to reach around 47 degrees, with winds gusts as high as 28 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%.

Live weather radar for the Columbus area

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Columbus area forecast for the rest of the week

The chance of showers and thunderstorms continues into Thursday, mainly before 10 a.m. The cloudy sky will keep the temperature hovering around 56 degrees, with a northwest wind of 7 to 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%, with new rainfall of less than a tenth of an inch expected, save for higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

As the week progresses, the weather is expected to calm down, with mostly cloudy skies on Thursday night and a low of around 38 degrees. Friday will be partly sunny, with a high near 59 degrees and a north wind of 5 to 7 mph. Friday night will see mostly cloudy skies with a low of around 36 degrees.

The weekend is expected to be pleasant, with mostly sunny skies on Saturday and a high near 61 degrees. Saturday night will be mostly clear, with a low of around 38 degrees. Sunday will also be sunny, with a high near 67 degrees, and Sunday night will be mostly clear, with a low of around 42 degrees.

Wednesday storm claims multiple lives in other parts of Midwest

USA Today is reporting a tornado that slammed southeastern Missouri on Wednesday caused "multiple" fatalities and injuries and prompted a feverish search for survivors in the wreckage, according to state authorities.

Tornadoes were reported in parts of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri late Tuesday and early Wednesday, and severe storms forced brief ground stops at major airports in Chicago and Detroit.

Severe storms could also produce strong tornadoes and large hail across parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, the weather service warned. More than 45 million Americans were under tornado, severe thunderstorm or wind watches and advisories Wednesday.

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Close to 2,400 AEP customers in Lancaster still without power