COLUMBUS, Ohio — As temperatures soar into the 90s, many Ohioans are still without power after Monday's storms.

What You Need To Know

  • Tens of thousands customers all across the state are still in the dark

  • Cooling centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Thursday
  • Pools will be open from 1-8 p.m. 

“The heat is a huge factor,” said Duke Energy Spokesperson Sally Thelen. “Obviously with folks experiencing outages.” 

This week will mark the hottest temperatures of the year, with restoration work still in progress after Monday’s storm.

“Last night our high of outages was about 166,000,” said Thelen. “We’re down to about 76,000 this afternoon.”

Duke Energy crews from across the country are in Butler County to help turn people’s lights back on, but the problem isn’t unique to Southwest Ohio.

Tens of thousands customers all across the state are still in the dark. In total, More than 242,000 Ohioans are still without power as of Wednesday morning.

For those without power or just looking to stay cool, Columbus Parks and Rec has opened its cooling centers, and has extended their pool hours, waiving admission fees until Thursday

“We just wanted to give people the opportunity for people to cool off just because we are going to be in the 90s this week,” said Communications Manager Stephanie Garling. 

Cooling centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Thursday. Pools will be open from 1-8 p.m. 

Thelen couldn’t estimate when power would be fully restored. She hopes to know more by Wednseday morning.

“If you don’t have power, I would recommend coming up with a backup plan, it’s not getting much cooler, we want to make sure folks seek alternative shelter,” said Thelen.

She suggests checking Duke Energy's website for updates.