By William Weathers
The Cincinnati Enquirer
and The Associated Press

Storms packing heavy rain and high winds swept through Greater Cincinnati Thursday night, causing scattered power outages that left more than 5,300 customers without electricity for a short time.

Funnel-cloud sightings were reported throughout the area, but no confirmed touchdowns, the National Weather Service Office at Wilmington reported.

"We got reports (from) everywhere," said Jeffrey Sites, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Trees and power lines were reported down in Warren and Butler counties in Ohio and Gallatin County in Northern Kentucky, but no injuries were reported, Sites said.

Nickel-size hail was reported in downtown Cincinnati, he said.

More than 2 inches of rain was reported in some areas during the early-evening storms.

An emergency services dispatcher in Highland County reported "a lot of wind, a lot of rain" and some trees and wires down, but no major damage.

Power had been restored to all but about 500 Cinergy customers in Greater Cincinnati by about 11 p.m. Thursday, said Cinergy spokeswoman Kathy Meinke. Most were in the Burlington area of Boone County and the Deer Park area of Ohio, she said. Cinergy expected to have power restored by about 1 a.m. today.

A suspected tornado touched down in southern Henry County about 40 miles northeast of Louisville Thursday night, the National Weather Service reported.