Central Alabama Power Outages: 18,000 Remain Without Electricity

Thousands of Central Alabama residents are without power Thursday after strong storms moved through the area overnight.

Alabama Power said that as of 9 a.m. there are 18,000 people still without power across the state.

In Jefferson and Shelby counties, there are 12,200 power outages with a bulk of those outages being in Jefferson County, according to Alabama Power.

Below is the full breakdown of power outages by county as reported by Alabama Power:

Jefferson: 10,000
Tuscaloosa: 2,200
Walker: 1,700
Etowah: 1,200
Fayette: 1,100
St. Clair: 920
Shelby: 740

Earlier on Thursday morning, nearly 40,000 power outages were reported across central Alabama.

Alabama Power did not provide an estimate of when power will be restored.

"Our crews are working to restore power for affected customers as safely and quickly as possible," Alabama Power wrote in a tweet.

Residents can report downed lines or poles to 800-888-2726.

The National Weather Service in Birmingham said thunderstorms are expected to continue to develop on Thursday and move eastwards. Some of the storms Friday afternoon and at night could be severe. The NWS said damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour and hail the size of golf balls are the primary hazards from the expected storms.

A hazardous weather outlook remains in place for central Alabama.

"The strongest storms are expected as early as 1 PM and may continue through around 10 PM," the NWS wrote in the advisory. "The best chance for the stronger storms will be in the southeast."

This report will be updated. Check back with Patch as we learn more about when power will be restored.