Storm's strong winds, hail sting region

Brice O Daniel watches approaching storm clouds in the parking lot of Evergreen High School in the Fulton County town of Metamora. Severe thunderstorms tore across much of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan yesterday, triggering wind gusts exceeding 60 mph and showers of hail in some areas. In Indiana, storms spawned at least one suspected tornado in Pike County, about 50 miles southwest of Bloomington, and uprooted trees.

Rain that was heavy at times, with wind gusts of more than 60 mph, and damaging hail pelted northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan yesterday.

Most of the damage was reported in Sandusky County, where strong winds blew a tractor-trailer off U.S. 20 near Woodville. No one was hurt.

Also in the county, roofs were blown off Freddy's Car Wash, 917 Vine St., and a storage building at 135 East McPherson Hwy. The roof was damaged at Erlin Trader, 701 North Main St. And fallen trees damaged three homes near North Street and McPherson, all in Clyde.

Elsewhere, a barn was destroyed near Defiance.

Hailstones, some up to an inch in diameter, were reported in Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Sandusky, Hancock, and Putnam counties in Ohio and Monroe County in Michigan.

Nearly every area had tree branches down and power lines toppled by strong winds.

A cold front that moved across the area late in the afternoon clashed with the earlier-in-the-day warm, humid air. Those conditions produced the weather that prompted severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches, according to the National Weather Service.

About 3:30 p.m. yesterday, the mercury at Toledo Express Airport climbed to 82 degrees, 7 degrees shy of the record high for the date set in 1914.

By 9 p.m., the temperature had fallen to 64 degrees. The overnight low was expected to be in the upper 50s.

The storms produced 0.17-inch of rain at the airport by 9 p.m., bringing the total for the month to 5.78 inches.

Periods of rain were expected to occur overnight.

During the first 25 days of May last year, only 1.76 inches of rain fell. The normal for the month through May 25 was 2.47 inches.

Today will be cloudy, with showers and a chance of thunderstorms - mainly in the morning.