A severe thunderstorm produced wind damage that caused power outages and downed trees as it passed through the Roanoke Valley on Wednesday afternoon.

Todd Burns, spokesman for Appalachian Power Co., said that power outages reached a peak of 13,500 about 6 p.m., with Roanoke, Vinton, Roanoke County and Bedford County most severely affected. Burns said he expects power to be completely restored by midnight tonight.

Burns said that the majority of outages in Roanoke County occurred in the Huntington Court area in the direction of Hollins after a major substation there was affected.

Downed trees and power lines also caused traffic problems and may continue to do so this morning.

Vinton's communications supervisor Craig Sheets said that commuters should avoid downtown Vinton this morning and expect delays because of power outages.

Phil Hysell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, said the storm was moving east at 40 mph about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday and most severely affected north and east Roanoke city, eastern Roanoke County and Vinton. The most severe damage was in Vinton, where the storm generated winds in excess of 60 miles per hour, Hysell said.

Reports turned in to the National Weather Service described damage caused by large trees that fell on a house and a vehicle on Poplar Grove Drive in Vinton, trees blocking Virginia 24 near the Roanoke County-Bedford County line east of Vinton, and several reports of large limbs down in both Roanoke and Vinton.

There were traffic delays in downtown Vinton after power was knocked out at Gus Nicks Boulevard and Pollard Street, and Pollard was closed at Lee Street, according to Sheets. The 1600 block of Mountain View Road also was closed because a tree had fallen on power lines.

Vinton Fire Department's Assistant Chief Chris Heptinstall said that lightning hit two houses in Vinton on Matthews Drive and Mountain View Road. The strikes did not produce fires and caused only minimal damage.

"It was kind of hairy around here," Heptinstall said. "Primarily it's been a lot of calls but no incidents of major consequence."

Roanoke police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said that downed trees and power lines also caused hazards on some city streets. Traffic lights were out at some major intersections, including Liberty and Plantation roads, and intersections along Orange Avenue from Williamson Road to the Roanoke County line.

Jennifer Conley Sexton, spokeswoman for the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department, said that several downed tree limbs caused power lines to fall in the east Roanoke County-Vinton area. A lightning strike near William Byrd High School caused a power surge that affected the school's alarm system.

"This just shows that severe thunderstorms can produce the same type of damage as tornadoes," Hysell said. He added that people should take the same type of precautions with a severe thunderstorm as they should with a tornado.