On March 13, 2026, Ohio found itself at the mercy of a historic windstorm, as the National Weather Service issued high wind warnings and advisories covering two-thirds of the state. The warnings remained in effect through as late as 2 a.m. on March 14 in some areas, with the brunt felt from central Ohio counties north to Lake Erie and the Michigan border. As gusts battered homes, businesses, and infrastructure, the resulting damage and widespread power outages left hundreds of thousands in the dark and scrambling for safety.
According to Spectrum News 1 meteorologists, wind gusts were forecast to reach 50 to 55 mph, but reality proved even more severe. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport recorded a staggering 85 mph gust, while Elyria trailed closely at 77 mph, as reported by WOIO. The National Weather Service confirmed that much of Northeast Ohio experienced gusts of 40 to 60 mph, with some west central and north central regions reporting gusts as high as 80 mph. At John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, a gust of 48 mph was clocked at 1:15 p.m., and later, a 67 mph blast was recorded at 3:10 p.m.
The impact of these winds was immediate and devastating. Cuyahoga County bore the brunt in Northeast Ohio, with more than 100,000 customers losing power by late afternoon, according to FirstEnergy’s outage map. Summit County faced over 27,000 outages, Richland nearly 12,000, and Geauga more than 11,000. Medina, Lorain, and Portage counties each reported between 8,000 and 10,500 outages. The domino effect continued across Lake, Ashtabula, Erie, Huron, and Trumbull counties, all with thousands of customers in the dark. In total, more than 255,000 FirstEnergy customers were without power across the state by 5:10 p.m.
Central Ohio was not spared. As of 5:50 p.m., nearly 70,000 AEP Ohio customers in Franklin County alone were without power, with Delaware and Licking counties reporting 15,095 and 17,396 outages respectively. Fairfield, Knox, Perry, and Crawford counties also experienced thousands of outages. South Central Power reported additional outages, including 4,800 in Fairfield County and 2,500 in Franklin County. The outages were so extensive that Tanger Outlets temporarily closed, and the Franklin County Courthouse lost power around 4:35 p.m., according to WBNS.
The winds did more than just cut electricity. Physical damage was widespread and varied—from the roof being torn off Toth Elementary School in Perrysburg, south of Toledo, to a tractor-trailer being blown over on US 20 in Woodville Township. At Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, high winds damaged the roof of a hangar, though operations continued. In Elyria, firefighters responded to a partial roof collapse on Griswold Road. The Powell YMCA in Franklin County suffered significant roof damage, and multiple road closures were reported due to downed power lines, trees, and poles. Detroit Road in Lakewood, Otten Road in North Ridgeville, Milan Avenue in Norwalk, and several other key routes were closed, making travel treacherous.
The Ohio Turnpike Commission, anticipating the dangerous conditions, had prohibited high-profile vehicles—such as semis and campers—from traveling the entire length of the turnpike beginning just after midnight. The Ohio Department of Transportation warned on X, "High winds are leading to several incidents across central Ohio of trucks being blown over. We are also seeing downed utilities and trees." The National Weather Service urged residents to stay on lower floors, keep away from windows, and watch for falling debris and tree limbs.
Utility companies were on high alert. FirstEnergy activated its incident command structure, coordinating crews, equipment, and field support. The company brought in outside contractors, forestry personnel, and hazard responders to supplement internal crews. However, the restoration efforts faced a daunting challenge: utility bucket trucks cannot operate safely when wind speeds exceed 40 mph—a threshold surpassed for much of the day. Downed trees and blocked roads further delayed crews attempting to reach outage sites. FirstEnergy had not issued estimated restoration times as of the evening, advising customers to check their outage map for updates.
AEP Ohio also ramped up its response, deploying more than 2,000 line and tree personnel across the state and bringing in another 400 workers specifically for the storm. Dale Hopkins of AEP Ohio explained, "So our crews at AEP Ohio have a four-year proactive trim cycle. So, we're out trimming nearly every day, keeping trees and other vegetation away from our lines. It's not just trimming the trees back. It's also looking for trees that could fall into the lines. So what that does is that provides reliability for our customers, but it also makes it so when we have an event, a wind event like today, that by being proactive, we're removing trees that could fall in a wind situation." AEP also uses AI and drones to monitor at-risk trees, aiming to prevent outages before they occur.
Despite these efforts, the sheer scale of the storm overwhelmed even the most robust preparations. As AEP Ohio spokespersons admitted, crews were actively working to resolve outages but could not provide a timeline for full restoration. The company’s live outage map was being updated continuously. Residents were urged to report downed wires and outages—by texting OUT to FirstEnergy or using AEP Ohio’s website—and to stay at least 30 feet away from any downed wires or anything they touched. Operations manager Dylan Brown reminded everyone to have an emergency kit with drinking water, flashlights, batteries, and charged cell phones and laptops.
The storm’s effects rippled through daily life. In Eastlake, Walmart closed due to power outages. Many flights at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport were delayed, and some arrivals diverted. Schools, courthouses, and shopping centers shut their doors. In Portage County, nearly 9,000 FirstEnergy customers were affected, with about 900 in Streetsboro alone. FirstEnergy provided no restoration estimates, leaving many residents anxiously checking outage maps for updates.
As Friday wore on, utility crews toiled through hazardous conditions, while residents hunkered down, hoping for the winds to subside. The National Weather Service’s warnings and the proactive measures of Ohio’s utilities likely prevented even greater harm. Still, with widespread outages, blocked roads, and damaged buildings, the storm of March 13, 2026, will be remembered as a day when nature’s force tested the resilience and preparedness of Ohio’s communities.
As the state recovers, utility workers, emergency responders, and neighbors will continue working together to restore power, clear debris, and return life to normal—one power line and one fallen tree at a time.