Cincinnati Ice Storm Power Outages: Thousands Without Power in Ohio After Severe Storm Downs Trees, Wires

Thousands have been hit by power outages in the Cincinnati area as an ice storm hit Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana on Thursday. The hazardous travel conditions have forced delayed start times at schools, and the closure of some streets due to downed trees.

The National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning for southwestern Ohio, as well as east central and southeast Indiana and northern Kentucky. The warning, which remained in effect until 12 p.m. Thursday, warned of "slippery road conditions."

"Travel is strongly discouraged. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Snapped power lines and falling tree branches are also possible," the warning said.

Cincinnati Parks reported that there were nearly 100 downed trees around the city, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. "All of our crews have been dispatched and are prioritizing based on public safety," the department said.

The severe weather has led to thousands of customers to lose power in the region. Duke Energy reported 95,215 customers were without power in Ohio. Hamilton County suffered the largest power outages with 66,503 customers reportedly without power.

Duke Energy said it estimated the outages would be resolved by 4 p.m. Any customers with Duke Energy who experience a power outage were asked to call 800-769-3766.

Hamilton County 911 tweeted that there were many trees, phone poles and wires down across the county. "If you don't need to go out, stay put and give crews the space to work," it tweeted.

Dayton Power & Light also reported another 22,885 customers had experienced power outages, with the majority of the outages concentrated in Montgomery County, according to PowerOutage.US.

Cincinnati Fire and Emergency Medical Services said that the Fire Department was responding to downed trees and wires. The Fire Department also asked residents to stay clear of downed power lines and to treat them as energized. "Please do not touch! If you become trapped in a vehicle involving wires stay inside, call 911," it tweeted.

"Fire Department continues to respond to numerous reports of wires and tree limbs down while handling its other volume. They are utilizing a more strategic response model to make sure the emergency runs are handled with priority," it wrote.