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Strong storms leave thousands without power across central Pennsylvania

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Strong thunderstorms that swept across central Pennsylvania Sunday evening left thousands of residents without electricity, downed trees and power lines, and brought an end to last week’s stretch of hot and humid weather.

Utility crews worked overnight and into Monday morning to restore service to affected communities across the region.

According to utility reports, nearly 1,000 customers in Dauphin County lost power during the storms, with the largest concentration of outages reported in Middle Paxton Township. Most service had been restored by Monday morning.

Perry County was among the hardest-hit areas, with more than 1,000 customers experiencing outages. Carroll Township, Northeast Madison Township, Rye Township and Saville Township reported the greatest impacts.

The storms also caused trees and utility wires to fall across New Valley Road in Marysville, creating travel hazards and requiring cleanup efforts.

In Cumberland County, nearly 2,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. Crews restored electricity to many customers overnight, significantly reducing the number of outages by Monday morning.

York County also experienced scattered outages, with hundreds of FirstEnergy customers losing power. Chanceford Township and Shrewsbury Township reported some of the highest outage totals.

The storms were part of a weather system that moved through the region Sunday evening, producing strong winds and heavy rain after several days of unusually hot weather. Temperatures had climbed to around 90 degrees during the weekend and followed a heat wave that brought record-setting warmth to parts of the region.

The cold front responsible for the storms has now pushed east, ushering in cooler and less humid air. Forecasters expect highs to reach only the 70s across much of central Pennsylvania on Monday, providing a welcome break from the recent heat.

While the start of the week is expected to remain comfortable, temperatures are forecast to gradually climb again later in the week. Forecasters are also monitoring the potential for additional thunderstorms by Thursday.

Souce: Weather Channel

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