Some West Alabama residents sleeping in for Memorial Day this morning got a rude awakening. Just over 20,000 customers were left without power as early morning severe thunderstorms toppled trees and power lines onto some homes and blocked numerous roadways. One person died in Jefferson County when a tree fell on an apartment.

Alabama Power and electrical co-op emergency crews had whittled the number down to just over 13,000 outages at mid-morning. Most power is expected to be restored later today.

Tuscaloosa County had the largest concentration of power outages in West Alabama at almost 10,000. Bibb County reported more than 5,000 outages followed by more than 500 each in Hale, Marengo and Greene counties with lesser amounts in other counties in the region.

Across the state more than 80,000 Alabamians woke up to power outages this morning with the largest concentration in Jefferson and Shelby counties and West Alabama.

Numerous roads were blocked due to downed trees and power lines in Bibb, Hale and Tuscaloosa counties. At one point this morning, the Coaling Police Department urged motorists to stay off the road until volunteer fire departments, utility crews and public works departments could remove the trees and power lines.

No injuries have been reported in West Alabama, but Bibb County Emergency Management Agency Director Kirk Smith says a number of homes across the northern portion of Bibb County have suffered tree damage.

Smith identified the West Blocton area as the part of Bibb County with the most concentrated damage.

Tuscaloosa County EMA Director Nick Lolley and staff have been conducting damage estimates.

The destruction is a result of cell of severe thunderstorms containing powerful winds to near 70mph that cut a swath across Central Alabama early this morning

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in effect this morning for 20 counties, including Bibb, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties in West Alabama. A warning was issued prior to the storms striking.

This was the southern part of a storm system that left 15 dead in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas overnight.

For the remainder of Memorial Day Forecast click HERE.

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