After severe storms hit the Tri-State early Saturday morning, thousands of residents in the Greater Cincinnati region lost power.

As of 2:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Duke Energy reported 4,568 customers were without power, stemming from 224 active outages throughout the region. In Cincinnati, the largest outage clusters were on the west side of the city, comprising more than 1,000 of the outages region-wide.

By 8:20 p.m., most of those outages were resolved, with Duke Energy reporting 463 customers without power and 56 active outages. By then, the region in the area most affected by power outages was Colerain, which reported 247 homes without power.

High winds persisted through the region Saturday, hindering Duke Energy's ability to restore power to homes. Duke Energy said it hopes as wind velocities diminish through the day, crews will be able to restore service more efficiently.

Indiana reported thousands of outages on Saturday, but most of the outages located within the Tri-State area were resolved by the afternoon.

Over 56,000 were without power in all of Kentucky on Saturday morning after four tornadoes hit the state, killing at least 50 people, with the number expected to grow between 70-100. Gov. Beshear has declared a State of Emergency and has asked President Biden for an emergency declaration from the federal government.

During a 5 a.m. press conference on Saturday, Beshear said emergency crews were already headed to Western Kentucky to assist in rescuing people trapped in buildings. He said crews were also on their way to help clear debris and restore power.

Many of the outages were due to a major tornado that hit Mayfield in Graves County.

You can keep track of the Duke Energy area outage map here.

Several regions of the United States are at risk of widespread power outages if extreme weather hits this winter, according to an assessment by the non-profit North American Reliability Corporation.

Texas, which generates more electricity than any other state, could see numerous power plants become inoperable with the right winter storm, causing electricity demand to exceed what's being generated by up to 37%, the report found.

That means nearly half of the state's electricity resources wouldn't be able to meet customer demand, leaving millions of Texans in the dark — again.

The sobering outlook comes after record cold temperatures in February 2021 caused the state to see its highest electricity demand ever as residents tried to keep warm.

To prevent the power grid from buckling under the stress, grid operators were forced to implement rolling outages right when Texans needed power the most.

More than 200 people died during the power crisis, with the most common cause of death being hypothermia.

A post-storm analysis released in November indicated power plants were unable to produce electricity primarily due to natural gas issues and generators freezing.

NERC, which regulates the bulk power system for all of the U.S. (including Texas) and Canada, says the events of this past winter underscore the need to weatherize critical infrastructure.

"Extreme weather events, such as the one in February 2021, are unfortunately becoming more commonplace and the electricity ecosystem needs to come together to plan for and prepare to operate under more extreme, longer duration, and wide area weather events," NERC President Jim Robb said.

The February outages could have been reduced by 67% in Texas just by simply weatherizing four types of power plant components, NERC's analysis found.

Elevated risks outside Texas

Other power markets in the Central and Northern Plains could also come close to having electricity shortfalls this season under extreme conditions.

The ongoing drought in the West has left many hydropower plants suffering. And researchers predict the Northwest could have energy reserves fall as low as -1.5% during a record-breaking storm.

NERC also warns that fuel stocks on site for power plants are below normal for this time of the year. While it isn't an issue right now, the ongoing energy crisis overseas and snarled supply chain make it one to watch.

The winter weather outlook is at least optimistic

NERC's assessment coincides with the Climate Prediction Center's Winter Weather Outlook.

The CPC is expecting above-average temperatures across much of the Southeast and Northeast from December through February. Temperatures across the Southwest, Southern and Central Plains, and into the Ohio River Valley and Mid-Atlantic are expected to be slightly above the norm.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies are likely to see cooler than normal temperatures.

But it's important to remember that, though it may be a warmer-than-normal winter for much of the country, extreme cold snaps can still occur at times.

Look no farther than last winter, when the Southern Plains witnessed a record-breaking deep freeze despite the expectation of above-average temperatures. Most notably, Texas shattered numerous records and cold temperatures crippled the power grid.

Last winter saw the weather effects of a La Niña. And a forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fell in line with typical La Niña expectations: cooler and wetter weather across the northern tier of the U.S. and drier and warmer than average temperatures across much of the southern U.S.

"In fact, this past December-January was the least La Niña-ish pattern of 13 moderate-to-strong La Niñas dating back to 1950. Why? Who knows! But the influence of chaotic weather variability is always there. Yes, even during a La Niña, mother nature can just BE that way sometimes," meteorologist Tom Di Liberto wrote in March in a NOAA blog post.

NEW ORLEANS —

Residents at an apartment building in New Orleans say they were abandoned after Hurricane Ida knocked out electricity, and the property manager offered little to no assistance to the 40 or so low-income residents. Many are elderly and have acute health conditions that were exacerbated by the oppressive heat after the storm.

Electricity was restored Thursday, but people who suffered through the heat are demanding answers.

"We went through a lot of pain and suffering, couldn't sleep, never got sleep or nothing, man," said Tyrone Webber, a resident at Boyd Manor.

Residents depended on local community volunteers who brought them food, water and ice. Some of the volunteers had been inside the building's apartments and shared videos that showed water on the floor and leaks around window sills.

The volunteers made patchwork repairs, but residents say they have not heard from the property manager about long-term solutions.

"The landlord didn't come here, not one day. We was without lights and everything for 10 days, and she's going to come here today talking about she want rent," resident Yolanda Lewis said.

National Baptist Housing and Economic Development own the property. Its chairman, who is also a local pastor, said he had evacuated from New Orleans for the hurricane and had not been to the residence since the storm.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development financed the property and pays 70% of the rent for tenants, who must qualify as low-income. This means residents did not have the means to evacuate on their own.

However, a representative for the company that manages the building told sister station WDSU that the residents were given information to arrange their evacuation through the city's 311 service. Only one resident chose that option.

The on-site manager has been to the building every day since Hurricane Ida and brought residents food and water, the representative said. Residents dispute that claim, saying volunteers and a council member have been their only sources of aid. One resident said the manager "snuck in through the backdoor."

A community member said conditions were substandard before the hurricane. He, too, said property management has been absent in the storm's aftermath.

Personnel is expected to be sent to complete an assessment of building damage. That process was hindered by the lack of electricity. There was no timeline given for when repairs would be made, but contractors are reportedly expected to be hired if the damages are extensive.

Residents should not be expected to pay their portion of the rent in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, a representative for the company said, adding that she was not aware that the onsite property manager had pressed tenants for payments. She also said she was not aware of residents' claims that problems such as mold, mildew and leaks were present before the storm.