Note: This story has been updated

Many people in our area remain without power after strong winds and heavy rains swept through the area with last night’s storms.

As of this afternoon, Duke Energy is reporting nearly 7,000 customers without power in our area. That includes nearly 5 thousand in Columbus, more than 200 in the Nashville area, nearly 1000 towards Hope and 730 around Grandview Lake

Bartholomew County REMC is reporting 136 customers without power this afternoon, with most of those in Clay Township east of Columbus.

Jackson County REMC is reporting just over 100 customers without power with most in the Heltonville and Freetown areas.

More than 2,100 customers are without power this afternoon in Brown County, according to South Central Indiana REMC.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for 39 counties in Indiana.

In our area, those include Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson and Shelby Counties.

Widespread thunderstorms are expected this afternoon into this evening, with potential for severe storms in the 2 to 10 p.m. time frame. Damaging winds will be the primary threat, though large hail, isolated tornadoes, and localized flash flooding will also be possible.

The tornado watch is in effect until 8 p.m. tonight.

Government offices are closing Thursday in observance of Juneteenth.

In Columbus, city trash, recycling and yard waste routes will be running on their normal schedule.

The Columbus and Bartholomew County Recycling Center will be closed Thursday along with the cardboard route and the Solid Waste Management district offices. The Bartholomew County Landfill will be open normal hours.

Columbus City Utilities offices will be closed. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, you can call 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.

In Seymour, Thursday’s trash, recycling and yard waste routes will be collected on Friday along with the normal Friday routes.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., marking the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, more than two and a half years after it was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

With the approaching Fourth of July holiday, local firefighters want to remind you of the ordinances surrounding fireworks and offer fireworks safety tips.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, city ordinances regulate when you can set off fireworks and are in line with state laws.

That means June 29th through July 3rd, you can set off your fireworks between 5 p.m. and two hours after sunset, or no later than 11 p.m. in the evening. On the Fourth of July you can set them off between 10 a.m. in the morning and midnight. From July 5th through the 9th, you can again only set off fireworks between 5 and 9.

Fireworks are not allowed to be set off in the city limits except for certain holidays for the rest of the year,.

You should not put hot fireworks in your trash Toter and never put those into your recycling or yard waste Toters.

Lowell Road in Columbus will be closing for two months or more starting on Monday.

According to the Columbus city engineer’s office, the final phase of reconstruction project is starting that will close the road from County Road 200W to Interstate 65 for an expected eight weeks. Access will remain open to Drummond Drive and the roundabout at Lowell Road and County Road 200W will remain open during the work.

Officials say you should avoid the area and find an alternate route during the closure. You are urged to use caution when driving near construction zones.

You can find a link to more information and updates on the city engineering Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/columbusengineering

We could see some bad weather this afternoon and evening as a storm system moves through the area.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has upgraded all of Indiana to an enhanced risk of severe weather today.

The main threats will be this afternoon through late evening with the possibility of damaging winds with gusts of more than 60 mph. Large hail along with isolated flooding and tornadoes are also possible.

Emergency officials say that you can prepare by identifying a safe spot at home and at work, should the weather turn severe. A basement or storm shelter is best, but an interior room, stairway or hall without a window or door to the outside is also acceptable.

Heading into the weekend, our current warm and muggy conditions are expected to turn to possibly dangerous heat. High temperatures in the mid 90s are possible and the humidity could make that feel like more than 100 degrees outside.

A pet food pantry distribution is set for Thursday afternoon at the Columbus Municipal Airport.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services will be holding their Furry Friends Food Bank giveaway from 4 to 5:30 p.m. or until the food runs out. The pet food will be distributed in the airport parking lot at 4770 Ray Boll Boulevard in front of the Charlie 119 cargo plane.

Cat food will be distributed in 4.5 pound bags and dog food in 14.5 pound bags. If you take part you should stay in your vehicle and the food will be brought to you.

Organizers say the purpose of the pantry is to assist community members in need to keep their pets in their homes and out of area shelters.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services is the non-profit partner of the city-operated animal shelter.

We could see some bad weather on Wednesday as a storm system moves through the area.

According to the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center, our area is right on the line between having an enhanced risk of severe weather to the north and west portions, and a slight risk to the south and east.

The main threats will be Wednesday afternoon through late evening with the possibility of damaging winds with gusts of more than 60 mph possible, large hail along with isolated flooding and tornadoes possible.

Emergency officials say that you can prepare by identifying a safe spot at home and at work, should the weather turn severe.. A basement or storm shelter is best, but an interior room, stairway or hall without a window or door to the outside is also acceptable.

Heading into the weekend, our current warm and muggy conditions are expected to turn to possibly dangerous heat. High temperatures in the mid 90s are possible and the humidity could make that feel like more than 100 degrees outside.

Bartholomew County officials are putting new procedures in place after a snafu over bids for a new county truck.

Recently the Bartholomew County Commissioners awarded a bid for a new truck for the assessor’s office to Country Chevrolet of North Vernon. However, commissioners decided Monday to scrap the contract and start over after an error was discovered in the process.

According to Commissioners President Carl Lienhoop the paperwork was read incorrectly and another bidder, Chevrolet of Columbus, actually came in with a cheaper offer. The difference was just over $179 dollars. But the final total was buried deep in the 12 pages of bid documents and was missed by the county officials.

Commissioners decided at their Monday meeting that the most fair thing to do would be to rescind the contract and seek new bids.

To prevent the problem from happening again, county officials will now require a cover page from bidders with the bottom line price listed and an estimated delivery date.

You will see traffic tie-ups on Interstate 65 heading into Indianapolis this weekend and next as crews make Safety and Efficiency improvements to the highway.

According to INDOT, the southbound lanes of Interstate 65 will be closing from 9 p.m. Friday evening through 6 a.m. Monday. That will be from the interchange with Interstate 70 in downtown Indy, to the exchange at Interstate 465. that will include all entrance ramps. Traffic will be detoured to 465 and 70 during the work. The work was originally scheduled to start last weekend, but was delayed due to the bad weather.

Work on the northbound lanes will be going on the following weekend, June 27th through June 30th.

The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.