More than 7,300 Franklin County households lost power overnight, and Hilliard-area residents should prepare for a second, potentially stronger round of storms arriving Tuesday afternoon.

AEP Ohio reported 7,389 Franklin County customers without electricity as of 7 a.m. Aug. 11, according to 10TV. That figure is roughly 12 times the 2,400 outages the county saw at the peak of Monday's storms. Across central Ohio, more than 30,000 AEP Ohio customers were without power Tuesday morning.

Franklin County had the highest outage count in the region. Licking County followed at 6,957, then Fairfield County at 4,941, Perry County at 3,210 and Delaware County at 1,815.

Stronger storms expected this afternoon

The National Weather Service warns the worst may not be over. The strongest storms are expected during the afternoon and early evening hours as a complex rolls in from the west, bringing damaging wind gusts of 60-plus mph and torrential rainfall. Isolated tornadoes and hail cannot be ruled out.

A flash flood warning was issued at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday for parts of central Ohio including eastern Franklin County after 1 to 2.5 inches of rain fell overnight. Central Ohio remains under a flood watch through Wednesday morning, Aug. 12. The weather service urged motorists not to drive through flooded roads, noting most flood deaths happen in vehicles.

The active weather pattern is expected to continue through at least Thursday, Aug. 13, before conditions gradually improve heading into the weekend.

How to report outages and stay safe

AEP Ohio customers can report outages by calling 800-672-2231 (available 24 hours) or online at AEPOhio.com/Outages. Customers can sign up for text and email alerts at AEPOhio.com/Alerts.

AEP Ohio's safety guidance for residents: Stay away from all downed power lines and anything they may be touching. If you see a downed line, call 911 and AEP Ohio immediately. Turn off lights and appliances during an outage to prevent circuit overloads when power is restored. Never burn charcoal indoors.