Much of Southwest Virginia was left in the dark Friday night after an evening storm with gusts topping 80mph swept through the area, downing trees and sparking fires.

Between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., dark clouds blotted the sky after a sunny, record hot day. Within minutes lights inside homes began to flicker, and many lost power altogether.

By 11:30 p.m., at least 50,000 Appalachian Power Co. customers were without electricity across Southwest Virginia, according to spokesman Todd Burns. Nearly 1million were in the dark across its entire service territory, Burns added.

Outage reports continued into the quiet hours of the night.

To read the rest of the Roanoke Times story, click here.

The Salem Red Sox game last night was ended early last night due to high winds and flickering lights – they shared this information in their normal post-game press release:

Salem, VA (June 29, 2012) – Around 9 PM, Manny Rivera was loosening for the top of the eighth inning, with Salem trailing Potomac 4-1, when some of the stadium lights went out and the wind started whistling. As more of the lights dimmed, the wind intensified, and both teams retreated to their dugouts and clubhouses while fans were escorted to the sturdy stairwells and the secure ground level tunnel underneath the main concourse. While Mother Nature displayed her power with winds estimated at around 80 miles per hour, everybody waited, with the game officially being called approximately an hour after the delay began.

We also have some storm damage reports from our Salem friends on Facebook, posted around 11 and 12 p.m. last night, Friday, June 29:

Chris Stevens: Limbs down on Alleghany Drive

Beth Jennings: Lots of trees down in my yard on Mitchell rd near exit 137

Jeff Brunk: Below Karen Hills got rocked Mulberry/Pyrtle area..power lines down on my house, trees fell on cars across the street…I’m sure its bad everywhere.

Heather Gillespie Alvarez: Fireworks tent in front of Salem Walmart is in the road.

Robin Realtor-Atkins: My front porch is terrible, my car is totally muddy from my once hanging plants, heavy grill is totally destroyed,

Zach Ruble: Power line down on Mountview rd. off of Callaway! no power

Sandra Elliott: no power at Salem Village

Tammy Davis Epperly: huge mess at the end of Ross in Salem. I have a huge locust tree down in my backyard. Next door neighbor has hole in roof from limb falling. Will post pics in morning.

If you have damage reports or photos you’d like to share, post to our Facebook page or email us at news@sosalem.com.

Roanoke County Fire & Rescue is currently assessing hundreds of reported calls from around the county for downed power lines, downed trees, fire alarms and other assorted emergencies. Additionally, we are on the scene of a small brush fire off of Catawba Valley Drive.

Our dispatch center has been inundated with calls, and we are kindly asking citizens to only call 9-1-1 if they are having or reporting an emergency.

Submitted by Jennifer Conley Sexton

Send your news and photos from the storm to news@sosalem.com.

See more on how the storm affected the Salem Red Sox here.

High Winds, Flickering Lights End Game Early

Salem, VA (June 29, 2012) – Around 9 PM, Manny Rivera was loosening for the top of the eighth inning, with Salem trailing Potomac 4-1, when some of the stadium lights went out and the wind started whistling. As more of the lights dimmed, the wind intensified, and both teams retreated to their dugouts and clubhouses while fans were escorted to the sturdy stairwells and the secure ground level tunnel underneath the main concourse. While Mother Nature displayed her power with winds estimated at around 80 miles per hour, everybody waited, with the game officially being called approximately an hour after the delay began.

As a result of the early finish, Potomac’s Nathan Karns earned a complete game victory, striking out 11 Red Sox in seven dominant innings. Salem broke up the shutout when Brandon Jacobs scored on a wild pitch in the last of the seventh, but Karns improved to 3-2 since ascending to the Carolina League level in early June.

The Nationals outhit the Red Sox 8-3, with Jason Martinson’s second-inning home run off Brandon Workman breaking the seal on the scoring. Martinson’s solo shot—his second in as many games—gave the Nats a 1-0 lead that Potomac would not relinquish.

In the top of the fifth, Workman surrendered three more runs on four hits, with Francisco Soriano doubling to drive in one and Adrian Sanchez singling to score two more. Up 4-0, the Nationals had all the run support they would need for Karns.

Workman went six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, falling to 5-4 on the year with four strikeouts and one walk. Offensively, Michael Almanzar went 2-for-3 to lead the Red Sox, while Xander Bogaerts registered Salem’s only other hit.

The Red Sox and Nationals will play the rubber game of their three-game series on Saturday night at 6:05, with Miguel Celestino expected to start opposite Adam Olbrychowski.

Submitted by Evan Lepler, Radio Broadcaster, Salem Red Sox Professional Baseball

Photo courtesy of Marilyn Clouser

Izzy Dohahue, Abbie Coleman, Haleigh Williams, Kirbie Conner, and Hannah Terry celebrate Haleigh’s 11th birthday with pig painting. These ladies have style – they made sure the polka dots matched her cast.

– Submitted by Marilyn Clouser

From the Roanoke County website:

Planning a trip to Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion this summer? Roanoke County has discounted tickets available at Green Ridge Recreation Center! Tickets must be purchased in-person at Green Ridge, and are not refundable. Please note select entry dates.

Photo: Charlie Overstreet, left, and Sid Witt

The Salem Kiwanis Club presented a check for $5,000 to Sid for the Challenger Little League on Tuesday, June 29.

The Challenger Division of Little League is a program for mentally and physically challenged youth, helping them to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities. More than the skills of baseball learned through the experience, the value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the proven therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, the strengthening of participants’ self-esteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play, which are hallmarks of the Little League program. The Little League Challenger Division provides the framework so Little League programs may offer a structured, athletic activity for all youth in their communities. Playing with the same equipment on the same fields, Challenger Division participants have the opportunity to experience the joys of pulling together as a team, being cheered, and earning awards for their achievements.

For more information on the Salem Kiwanis Club, please visit http://salemkiwanis.com

Submitted by Cheryl Graham

We took photos and wrote a story about the Challenger Little League’s recent baseball clinic with the Salem Red Sox team. Here’s a link.

The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Elwood Staffing on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. They are located at 1923 Electric Road, Salem, VA.  Members of the community, the Chamber of Commerce, friends and family joined Mr. & Mrs. Elwood and local staff to celebrate their location in Salem at Ridgewood Farms.  The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber would like to thank Elwood Staffing for their membership and support.

Submitted by the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce