Storm Rips Through Lakewood

The thunderstorm that tore through Northeast Ohio on Wednesday snarled caused high water on Lakewood streets, snarled traffic and brought down at least one electric wire.

Winds reportedly hit speeds of 60 mph and the heavy rain caused poor visibility. Marble-sized hail slammed the city around 7:30 p.m.

At least a couple lanes on Interstate 90 near the McKinley Road exit had high water, causing motorists to slow down to change lanes.

The traffic signal at the intersection of Warren Road and Madison Avenue malfunctioned causing traffic to back up. Other signals were reported out during and after the storm.

Many Lakewood residents wisely decided to stay in for the evening, said Sgt. William Deucher of the . He said there were only a handful of calls related to the storm, and he added there were few — if any — crashes as a result of the storm.

Deucher said that both the police and fire departments responded to a call near the intersection of Clarence and Bramley avenue of a downed power line.

According to FirstEnergy, there were fewer than 500 homes without power in Lakewood as of Thursday morning.