Thousands without power after storms that spawned tornadoes

CINCINNATI (AP) — Severe thunderstorms that roared through Ohio this week spawned three tornadoes, the National Weather Service has confirmed, while roughly 70,000 utility customers remain without power.

The storms containing heavy rains, hail, lightning and strong winds hit the area late Tuesday and continued through early Wednesday. No injuries were reported, but the storms knocked down trees and utility lines while causing property damage across the state.

Two of the tornadoes occurred late Tuesday, with one touching down near Barberton and traveling southeast for about 10 miles toward Green. The other set down in southern Lorain and northern Medina counties.

The third tornado touched down early Wednesday in southern Stark County, northwest of East Sparta. It traveled about 2.3 miles southeast toward the Stark-Tuscarawas county line.

Roughly 70,000 utility customers were still without service Thursday. More than half of the outages were reported in Hamilton County, where more storms came through Wednesday night.