Much of Seymour remains in the dark after storms swept through the area late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. Chip Orben, Duke Energy spokesman, blames high winds and a lightning strike…

As of 6:05 p.m. Wednesday, Orben says that approximately 3,500 city residents and businesses remain without power. Duke officials say that power is expected to be restored to most of Seymour by midnight Thursday.

Duke officials say that the storms left a peak of 30,663 power outages across the state. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, they says that more than 15,000 customers were without power. Jackson, Jefferson and Clark counties were among the hardest hit. Other areas that suffered significant outages included Lawrence, Orange, Hamilton and Gibson counties. Duke officials add that the infrastructure damage, including multiple broken poles and equipment, will involve lengthy repair work.