# Derecho-Force Winds Leave 83,000 Without Power Across Ohio and Indiana

Listeners, a powerful straight-line wind event, comparable to a derecho, battered parts of Ohio and Indiana over the weekend of March 13 to 16, 2026, with gusts up to 77 mph causing widespread destruction and power outages for over 83,000 customers statewide. Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative reports they restored power to around 3,000 members after the storm snapped 40 to 50 poles, downed countless trees, and sparked a transformer fire, marking one of the toughest events since the 2012 derecho. Crews from Paulding Putnam, aided by mutual aid from Frankart Power Line Services, Tricounty Rural Electric Cooperative, and North Western Electric Cooperative, worked around the clock in rotating shifts, prioritizing safety amid relentless winds.

The storm hit Paulding Putnam's seven-county area hard, from Allen County, Indiana, to Putnam County, Ohio, with peak outages reaching 41 incidents, many tied to AEP transmission failures in places like Ottoville and Antwerp. Cleanup and inspections continue into this week as of March 24, with co-op president Randy Price praising members' patience and community support from local police, fire, EMS, and spots like Millie's Cafe in Ottoville. Mike Smith Enterprises Blog warns of ongoing severe weather risks today on World Meteorology Day, noting potential wind gusts up to 110 mph that could trigger more widespread outages from similar thunderstorm lines.

This event fits the classic derecho profile—a long-lived, destructive windstorm from rapidly moving thunderstorms producing straight-line damage over hundreds of miles, as described in WDRB Weather Blog's breakdown of storm types like squall lines and bow echoes. No other confirmed derechos have struck in the past seven days, but this Ohio-Indiana barrage highlights early spring severe weather threats.

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