OHIO VALLEY – Brief but intense storms swept through the Ohio Valley area Tuesday afternoon, toppling trees and knocking out power to thousands across Jefferson and Harrison Counties.
In Steubenville, cleanup crews were dispatched to clear fallen trees from Braybarton and Opal Boulevards. In Mingo Junction, the former WSTV-AM tower collapsed near the WTOV studio, blocking part of Burr Avenue.
According to AEP Ohio, about 57,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm Tuesday night. The hardest-hit areas included Steubenville, Coshocton, New Philadelphia, and Canton, though crews reported widespread damage across the utility’s service territory. By Wednesday morning, the AEP Ohio website listed 40,083 outages statewide, with approximately 2,000 still without power locally.
Outages at their peak locally reached more than 6,000 customers in Harrison County and nearly 19,000 in Jefferson County.
Emergency responders and utility crews continued working through the night to clear debris and restore power to affected areas. Most areas should have power restored by Wednesday afternoon.
