Thousands without power; Duke Energy repair efforts hampered by high winds

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - More than 40,000 Tri-State Duke Energy customers remain without power the night after a severe storm swept through the region.

A majority of the power outages are east of Cincinnati, according to the Duke Energy outage map.

Duke Energy released the following statement Friday night:

“Our line crews are actively assessing damage from ongoing storm activity and making repairs in places where weather conditions allow. Strong winds are expected to continue well into the evening hours. These gusty conditions create safety hazards for our technicians, temporarily preventing them from raising hydraulic buckets needed for overhead line repairs. As these severe winds weaken and heavy rains subside, the pace of our outage restoration will accelerate. Thank you for your patience.”

[WATCH: Up-close video of confirmed tornado touchdown in Highland County]

A national outage map shows more than 500,000 homes are without power across Kentucky.

Our sister station in Lexington has confirmed four deaths across the commonwealth.

A Flood Warning is in effect for the majority of the FOX19 NOW viewing area with the potential of flooding and even flash flooding to occur given the forecast rainfall.

A Wind Advisory also is in effect from 2 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Saturday. Winds will be 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

Total rainfall through Friday night will be 1.5 to 2.5 inches.

The FOX19 NOW Weather Team says we can’t rule out locally higher rainfall amounts above 3 inches.

The weekend will be dry but mornings will be chilly.

Lows will fall into the 30s.

Saturday afternoon will warm up to 49 degrees.

Sunday will feel balmy at 55.

The first full week of March will start off very warm Monday.

Highs will reach the mid-60s under partly cloudy skies.

Rain showers return Monday night and linger into Tuesday morning.

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