Damaging Winds Leave 50,000 Without Power In Ohio

CLEVELAND — More than 50,000 Ohioans had their power knocked out by destructive wind gusts on Sunday night and Monday morning. A wind advisory was issued by the National Weather Service and will expire at 1 p.m. on Monday.

The National Weather Service said winds were expected to top out at speeds of 55 mph, which means gusts were strong enough to pull down tree branches and tear power lines. FirstEnergy warned Ohioans to avoid downed power lines.

As of 8 a.m., more than 13,000 people in Cuyahoga County were without power. The majority of the outages were located in Cleveland and its eastern suburbs, though pockets of outages were scattered throughout the county.

Lorain County was also hit hard by the winds, with more than 5,500 residents without power at 8 a.m. At least 1,200 people were without power in Avon, with no timetable announced for when power would be restored.

While the winds were expected to calm by Monday afternoon, Ohioans shouldn't expect a return to unseasonably warm temperatures. The National Weather Service is predicting a 20-degree temperature drop, with highs in the 30s on Tuesday, and rain and snow to greet the start of a new year.