Strong storms strike Miami Valley

MIAMI VALLEY — UPDATE @  6:23 a.m.:

According to the DP&L outage map, as of 6:15 a.m. 350 customers are without power across the Miami Valley in the wake of strong storms that crossed the area this morning.

The largest number of outages is in Montgomery County with a reported 135 customers without power. This is followed by Miami County with 81 without power and Greene County with 76 without power.

A large tree branch has fallen in the road in the 1000 block of Creighton Avenue in Dayton.

>>Fire fighters battle weather-related fires in Beavercreek, Xenia

UPDATE @ 5:36 a.m.:

As of 5:30 a.m., there are 306 DP&L customers without power, according to the DP&L outage map. The majority of these outages are in Greene, Miami and Montgomery counties.

INITIAL REPORT:

A strong storm is passing through the Miami Valley from the west, especially affecting areas south of Interstate 70.

An Areal Flood Warning is in effect for Butler and Warren counties until 7:30 a.m.

>> TRACK THE CONDITIONS: Live Doppler 7 HD Interactive Radar

According to Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Dontae Jones, the main threats from these storms are damaging winds, along with heavy rain and a chance for some hail.

The storms are expected to leave the area by sunrise, so it is unclear whether the weather will affect the first day of school for students in Oakwood, Jefferson Township, Lebanon, Middletown and Butler Tech.

As of 4:45 a.m., the Dayton Power & Light outage map shows that 198 customers are reportedly without power, with most of those outages being reported in Miami and Montgomery counties.

Xenia crews are attributing a house fire in the 1800 block of Arapaho Drive to a lightning strike, according to scanner traffic.

Another fire in the 200 block of George Wythe Way in Beavercreek may also be due to a lightning strike, according to scanner traffic.