Torrential rain, damaging winds up to 61 miles per hour and spectacular lightning ripped through Greater Cincinnati twice Sunday, killing two people in Bracken County, Ky., and knocking out power to about 70,000 homes.

A tree fell on an apartment building at 1702 Avonlea off Reading, south of Swifton Commons. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        Angelina McPherson, 28, Covington and Robin Baldrick, 11, of Covington, died when a mobile home blew over around 2:30 p.m. during the heaviest part of the first storm front, Kentucky State Police said. They were killed when struck by debris from the trailer destroyed by strong winds.

        The rural mobile home at 118 Cook Ridge Road was shaking in the heavy winds, so the five people inside fled outdoors, police said. The three others — ages Luanna F. Beyerdorfer 6, Brittni N. Mason, 11, and, Frenchie McPherson, 35, all of Covington, were treated for minor cuts and abrasions at Meadowview Regional Medical center in Maysville, and released. The 6-year-old and the 11-year are daughters of victim, Angelina McPherson.

        About 23,000 homes were still without power at 5 a.m. today. About 18,000 were in Northern Kentucky. At 9 p.m. Sunday — as the second storm was plowing through Greater Cincinnati — more than 47,000 electric customers were in the dark, Cinergy officials said.

        “We're expecting the majority of the power to be on (today),” said Dave Woodburn, Cinergy spokesman. “But we'll still have people out Tuesday.”

STORM WATCH

• Traffic conditions • Weather forecast

        The early storm hit hardest in areas east of downtown and in Northern Kentucky, said Jim Lott, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.

        The storm fronts downed trees across the Tristate, downed power lines in every county, contributed to numerous traffic accidents and set many trees afire.

        Wind blew the roof off Menninger Auto Body in Crescent Springs and fallen trees damaged numerous homes across the region.

        No dollar estimates of damage were available Sunday night.

        At 9:30 p.m., numerous streets, including Hamilton Avenue in Northside, remained closed to traffic because of downed power lines.

        In Anderson Township, grocery shoppers were turned away from the Kroger at 7545 Beechmont Ave. beginning in midafternoon when the power went out.

        Down the road, the lights flickered briefly at Starbucks in the 5200 block of Beechmont as a steady stream of customers drank coffee and awaited the return of air conditioning to their homes in the 80-degree heat.

        “It was so weird, it happened in an instant,” said Mary Beth Price of Anderson Township.

        “The wind just went whoosh, like that,” said her husband, Bill.

        Blowing in from northern Illinois, the sudden storms caused frantic action among emergency response crews as police and fire dispatchers were bombarded with calls.

        Winds during the early storm reached 60 to 70 miles an hour, Mr. Lott estimated.

        The area received between 1 and 2 inches of rain during the first storm and up to 1 inch during the second. Creeks and streams posed the greatest danger for flash flooding, Mr. Lott said.

        Phone service was out in isolated pockets, said Cincinnati Bell spokeswoman Tressie Long.

        Cinergy dispatched about 80 crews throughout the day to restore power, Mr. Woodburn said.

        When the McDonald's on Glenway Avenue in Price Hill lost electricity from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., employees locked the doors and sat inside waiting to resume cooking. Three-and-a-half hours later, lights were on and business was back to normal..

        Others reported only temporary inconveniences.

        Brett Kratzer of Anderson Township went to Starbucks on Beechmont to buy coffee beans. He only lost power for about an hour.

        “We got the candles out and everything,” Mr. Kratzer said. “It's lucky my computer had a battery in it.”

        Residents had only a few hours to recover beforel the second storm blew through around.

        The National Weather Service calls for a chance of showers today and Tuesday with highs in the upper 80s today and the mid-80s Tuesday.

        Wednesday and Thursday should be partly cloudy and cooler with highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 60s. The skies should clear up by Friday and Saturday.        

        William A. Weathers contributed to this report.

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