Update 3:50 p.m.:
The heaviest rain in Hamilton County from this morning's storms fell in the west and northeastern corners. Metropolitan Sewer District Director Gerald Checco says other than last August's heavy rain, it was the biggest storm in years.
"The problem that we have now is that we seem to see more and more unusual storms," Checco says.
"There are measurements that seem to indicate that what we would call unusual storms are becoming more usual. And that raises the big question which is our storm and sewer system, generally speaking, was designed for a world that is not the world that we are living in now."
He says there should be a discussion about how to deal with more frequent storm events.
By midafternoon, MSD had received about 400 damage claims where water backed up into homes and businesses from the sewer system.
Claims can be filed at 352-4900, or at MSDGC-dot-org.
Duke Energy reports at the height of the storm, 45,861 customers were without electricity. That was just after 8 a.m. As of 3 p.m., spokesperson Sally Thelen reported about 30,000 customers were still without power.
Clermont County in Ohio and Boone County in Kentucky were the hardest hit areas on the Duke Energy system. The infrastructure damage, including multiple broken poles and equipment, will involve some lengthy repair work.
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Update 1:40 p.m.:
The National Weather Service (NWS) says preliminary results indicate the damage done in Anderson Township was from a tornado. It has not determined the strength. Forecasters report the damage was two-tenths of a mile long and 160 yards wide. The NWS hopes to make a final determination by 9 p.m.
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What a difference a couple of hours makes.
Strong storms swept through the Tri-State this morning, knocking over semis, blowing roofs off of homes, flooding streets and dragging down power lines.
Nearly 34,000 customers in the area were without power at noon, according to Duke Energy. The outages caused some schools to close.
The National Weather Service is investigating what it says are several radar-confirmed tornadoes in the region, including Highland and Ross Counties.
There are swaths of enhanced wind damage on both sides of the Ohio River. Trampolines are hanging from fences in Alexandria. Strong winds bent the flag pole at the Amelia City Building. Sixty to 70 foot trees are down in Anderson Township.
And the wicked weather isn't finished. A wind advisory is in effect until 1am Thursday with gusts reaching 40-50 miles an hour. A Flash Flood Watch will last until 4:00 p.m. Wednesday.
