Severe storm roars through area

Lightning, heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc from Tuesday into this morning as a severe storm swept through the Grand Lake area.

Local Weatherman Dennis Howick reported 1.21 inches of rain had fallen. Meanwhile, lightning struck at least 200 times throughout Mercer and Auglaize counties, said meteorologist Kristen Cassady of the National Weather Service's Wilmington office. Two of those strikes reportedly hit houses in Mercer County.

Ten Celina firefighters with three trucks responded to a report of lightning striking a home at 12:10 p.m. at 7078 State Route 118, north of State Route 29.

Fire chief Doug Wolters said he believed lightning had struck the TV tower, causing the current to travel through the house and exit the garage. This caused minor fire damage to the home's exterior and significant electrical damage.

Wolters estimated the total cost of damages at about $80,000 as the entire electrical system was damaged along with all appliances plugged into it.

Nobody was injured from the strike and the house was insured, Wolters noted. Firefighters remained on the scene for about two hours.

Lightning also struck a house at 201 E. Second St., Rockford, at about 2:20 p.m. Village police officer Bryan Stetler recalled driving into town when he witnessed the bolt strike in the southeast side of town.

He, police chief Paul May and village firefighters responded to the call from property owner Kim Schaffner. She and her children were inside when the bolt struck but were uninjured, Stetler noted.

The responders first noticed the television was smoking most likely because the bolt had struck the antenna tower located on the west side of the house, Stetler said. No other damage was reported as other devices were protected by surge protectors.

Heavy rain made driving conditions hazardous. Tama Road between U.S. 127 and U.S. 33 near Mendon remained closed due to high water as of press time today, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. Mercer County EMA Director Mike Robbins said he believes the road could be opened by the end of the day.

The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office reported River Road and Townline Lima Road between Fairmont, Buckland-Holding roads and Briggs Road between State Route 197 and Deepcut Road were closed due to high water this morning.

Motorists should never drive through high water, Robbins said. "Don't drown. Turn around," he added.

Much of western and central Ohio were under tornado warnings at times on Tuesday, and National Weather Service investigators plan to survey damage today in areas including Grove City just south of Columbus and in rural areas near Springfield and Dayton to determine the causes.

Rain turned to snow this morning as Howick's forecast for today called for mostly cloudy skies and flurries. A wind advisory for the area was issued about 4 a.m. and remained in effect until 1 p.m. Robbins said he was not aware of any downed trees or power lines at press time.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.