More than 2,000 power outages, so far, in Floyd County with some areas estimated to get power back by 11 pm Monday while others are told “We’re sorry. We are currently unable to provide an estimated time of restoration for your outage. Please check back later.”
Some power was restored around 3:30 a.m. but other customers awoke powerless this morning as work continues throughout the county.
Appalachian Power says high winds, heavy rain, lightning and flooding combined to bring widespread power outages.
A tornado watch for Floyd County remained in effect through 5 am Monday while a thunderstorm watch ran through 3:15 am.
The storms that struck Southwestern Virginia, however, were not as violent or deadly as the ones that left a climbing death toll in the Midwest and South.
Reports The Weather Channel:
Powerful storms killed at least eight people and injured dozens more as they pushed across the South over the weekend, bringing destruction from Texas to Alabama.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least 17 tornadoes left behind swaths of damage in Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. The same system produced a possible tornado in Ohio as the storm moved northeast. Overnight, storms brought down trees and power lines in and around Richmond, Virginia. The Times-Dispatch reported that more than 78,000 customers were without electricity Monday morning.<
More than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power Monday morning from North Carolina through the MidAtlantic and from Ohio to Rhode Island, according to poweroutage.us.
Those killed in the storms ranged from a 3-year-old boy to a 95-year-old man.
Wind gusts up to 27 miles per hour remain in effect until at least mid-afternoon Monday.
The heavy storms flooded roads and brought rivers and streams out of their banks throughout the county. Reports of flooding came in from Thunderstruck, Christiansburg Pike and other areas.
The latest wind alert from NWS:
…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING… The National Weather Service in Blacksburg has issued a Wind Advisory, which is in effect until 6 PM EDT this evening. * Winds…West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. * Timing…Strongest gusts this morning. * Impacts…Some weaker trees and limbs will be blown down. Isolated power outages are possible. High profile vehicles will have difficulty with the crosswinds along north to south routes. * Locations…From Southeast West Virginia to the foothills of Virginia, and the North Carolina mountains. * Hazards…Strong wind gusts. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A Wind Advisory is issued when sustained winds are forecast to be 31 to 39 MPH or gusts will range between 46 and 57 MPH. Winds of these magnitudes may cause minor property damage without extra precautions. Motorists in high profile vehicles should use extra caution until the winds subside.
(Updated at 8:45 am Monday. A developing story…)