Westar Energy crew member Tony Lamp works on a power line in the 1300 block of Fair Lane Thursday, August 12, 2010. Many residents who live on the east side of Lawrence lost power during Wednesday evening's storm.

Power has been restored to all but a few customers in Douglas County, according to Westar Energy spokesman Leonard Allen.

Crews will spend the day fixing any remaining problems and clearing debris from the storm.

Jillian Rodrigue, assistant director of Douglas County Emergency Management, said the majority of reports about wind damage during the storm came from downtown Lawrence, as well as areas east of Massachusetts Street, including the 1500 block of Delaware, the 1100 block of Connecticut, and between the 1900 and 2500 blocks of Harper Street.

8:05 a.m. update

Nearly 400 customers in Douglas County are still without service this morning, according to Westar Energy’s website.

Crews worked throughout the night restoring power after Wednesday’s storm.

According to Westar spokesman Leonard Allen, tree limbs and downed power lines are causing outages to single customers. This means it will take longer to restore power, as crews have to travel to multiple locations to do repairs versus repairing a line that affects multiple people.

11:30 p.m. update

According to a Westar representative, crews are out all over the county trying to restore power to Douglas County residents.

Almost 900 people are still without power, but the representative said most of the major problems had been fixed. He said now crews had to go fix lines that led to a small number of houses, and there were several of those around the country.

He said power could be back on as soon as a couple hours but repairs could extend through the morning.

6:47 p.m. update

As crews work to restore power around the area, the number of customers reported without electricity by Westar Energy has crept up past 1,800.

6:10 p.m. update

The 1100 block of E1500 Road is closed temporarily because a power line is stretching across the road. Westar Energy crews are en route to clear the scene.

6:06 p.m. update

Westar Energy’s website is now reporting over 1,700 customers without power in Douglas County.

6:03 p.m. update

The severe thunderstorm warning in northwest Douglas County has been canceled after the storm that prompted the warning weakened to the point that it was no longer a threat.

The warning was scheduled to expire at 6:15 but was canceled early.

6:01 p.m. update

Deb Johanning reported storm damage via Twitter,

“Half my tree now covers my neighbors yard,” Johanning tweeted with this photo.

5:58 p.m. update

There are plenty of tree limbs down in yards and in the roads near 19th and Barker, including one giant tree blocking the road at Barker Avenue and Barker Court.

James Vann said that the strong winds lasted 10-15 minutes in that area of town.

“The limbs came flying through here pretty hard,” Vann said.

5:53 p.m. update

Westar Energy’s website is now reporting over 1,600 customers without power in Douglas County.

5:48 p.m. update

The thunderstorm warning continues for northwestern Douglas County, southeastern Shawnee County and southwestern Jefferson County until 6:15 p.m.

The areas affected include southern Topeka, Richland, Tecumseh, Grantville, Perry and Clinton.

The warning for eastern Douglas County has been canceled.

5:36 p.m. update

The thunderstorm warning now includes northwestern Douglas County, southeastern Shawnee County and southwestern Jefferson County.

Again, destructive winds are the major threat with these storms. Winds could be in excess of 70 mph.

5:31 p.m. update

The National Weather Service has extended the severe thunderstorm warning until 6 p.m.

5:29 p.m. update

Traffic control has been called to 14th and Massachusetts for reports that the stoplights are out at that intersection.

Westar Energy’s website is now showing over 1,300 customers in Douglas County without service.

5:26 p.m. update

There are multiple reports of power lines down across the city. According to Westar Energy’s website, over 1,200 customers in Douglas County are without power.

A fire from a lightning strike has also been reported in the 1500 block of E. 24th Street.

5:24 p.m. update

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Douglas County until 5:30 p.m.

A thunderstorm moving toward Lawrence is capable of producing strong and damaging winds in excess of 70 mph.

The NWS is encouraging residents to seek shelter and stay away from windows.