The winds are howling in Greater Akron.
The peak wind speed recorded was 45 miles per hour with gusts of 72 mph at Akron-Canton Airport by 5:18 p.m. Friday.
Greater Akron was under a high wind warning through 8 p.m. Friday.
In Akron, 10,419 customers were without power as of 7 p.m. March 13, the mayor’s office stated in a Facebook post.
“FirstEnergy crews are fully staffed and will be working safely throughout the night,” the post stated. “For restorations that require linemen to be on the poles, they will have to wait for the winds to die down so crews can safely make those repairs. This is expected to be a multi-day restoration event.
“To report outages, you can visit: https://outages-oh.firstenergycorp.com.
“If there is a tree in your roadway, please make a 311 request by going online to akronohio.gov/311 or by downloading the Akron311 app. Akron crews will be out throughout the weekend to respond to those requests.
“If there is an emergency please call 9-1-1 as always,” the mayor’s office said
The weather service warned the high winds could blow down trees and power lines creating widespread power outages.
Residents are urged to remain in the lower levels of homes during the windstorm and avoid windows.
“Watch for falling debris and tree limbs,” the weather service said. “Use caution if you must drive.”
Various communities, including Bath and Norton, have had to close major roads because of downed trees. Bath police reported on social media that a large tree that was blocking Cleveland-Massillon Road was cleared and the road reopened after 5 p.m.
FirstEnergy was reporting scattered outages across Northeast Ohio.
As of 6:30 p.m. some 34,141 customers were without power in Summit County with another 9,061 in Portage County and 8,354 in Medina County.
Strong winds complicate efforts to restore power, FirstEnergy said.
“For safety reasons, crews cannot use bucket trucks when wind speeds are above 40 mph,” FirstEnergy said. “Fallen trees and blocked roads can also delay crews as they travel to outage locations.”
FirstEnergy activated its Incident Command Center and has contacted other utilities and private contractors for additional help.
The Ohio Turnpike issued a High-Wind Travel Restriction for all 241 miles of the toll road for certain high-profile vehicles.
The travel ban is in effect through midnight Friday.
The turnpike will remain open to all passenger and most commercial vehicles.
The types of vehicles that will be subject to the ban include:
FirstEnergy has a procedure for restoring power.
It includes:
FirstEnergy has tips for preparing for the gusty winds.
They include:
FirstEnergy says its customers should report power outages as soon as possible.
Customer should:
If your power is out, FirstEnergy has these tips to check on when it might be restored.
Customers should:

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