Power restored in Poplar Bluff, multiple areas dealing with downed trees after brief storm

Numerous trees were reported down across Ripley, Butler and Stoddard counties by early Wednesday evening due to straight line winds and heavy rain, causing widespread power outages.

Poplar Bluff Municipal Utilities reported 2,322 customers were impacted by an outage that started at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.

It lasted 39 minutes, ending at 6:55 p.m.

A tree is shown down on a home in the 900 block of Cherry in Doniphan following a Wednesday evening storm.Photo provided

A tree blew into a power line, said Bill Bach, Municipal Utilities general manager. The tree was in the area of Shelby and Roxy roads.

Areas without power were mainly east of Westwood Boulevard, he said.

Ozark Border Electric Cooperative was reporting about 1,300 outages as of 8 p.m., with about 500 in Stoddard and 400 in Ripley.

A tree fell in the 900 block of Cherry Street in Doniphan, damaging a home there, said Ripley County Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Byrd.

Craig Meador, with the Poplar Bluff Severe Weather Response team, said multiple trees were being reported down by the Doniphan Police Department and in Dexter.

In Stoddard County, officials had also received a report of a tree down on two vehicles, he said. Roof damage was reported to a school in Corning, Arkansas, he said.

Trees have also been reported down in Broseley and a building damaged there.

Wind speeds of 40-70 miles per hour were reported across Southeast Missouri, Meador said.

The main threat of severe weather was over following the early evening storm, he said.