Cleanup is well underway and power has been restored to most customers after strong storms ripped through the Bay area Tuesday afternoon, toppling trees and hitting the Seminole Heights neighborhood in Hillsborough County particularly hard.

Most of the 11 major intersections in Hillsborough County that had downed trees have been cleared, and most of the thousands of customers who lost power have had it restored, according to Tampa Electric.

With plenty of moisture readily available over the Gulf of Mexico, afternoon heat and a sea breeze helped produce heavy showers and thunderstorms for the second consecutive day Tuesday.

Seminole Heights was one of the hardest hit neighborhoods.

Lale Atkinson says a 300-year-old tree from her neighbor’s back yard came tumbling down, crashing into her laundry room.

"I took the bed sheets off, towels and everything and put it in the hamper. I dragged it by the living room. I said "let me cook the rice first because I’m hungry,” she said. “While I'm cooking that I'll load the laundry later on. If i would have done that first, then I would be under that tree with the laundry room."

Atkinson said she isn't sure how extensive the damage is and she doesn't have homeowner's insurance.

"The roof is down, windows, everything is down," she said. "It's like trees right in front of me, standing right in front of me."

Neighbors say they're going to pitch in to try to help her.

Cars got crushed, too. A towing service had to be called to lift a huge tree off a truck parked at a nearby business.

“We were up here working on a swamp cooler and the winds picked up and started rustling the leaves and the limbs and we looked and it twisted the whole tree apart and snapped it right over on the truck,” said Jimmy Mac.

Residents walked their neighborhood, checking out the damage. A tree blocked the entire road on North 15th Street.

"I feel very fortunate nothing hit my house,” said Don Engelberger, resident. “It all fell in the road. It took my fence down, I've got a little plant nursery here, Engelberger's nursery has been here for 60 years and it kinda messed me up inside. I got my work cut out for me."

In Hillsborough County had "widespread" reports of downed tree limbs and power lines in the area of east Adamo Drive. The following major intersections either had no power, flashing lights, or debris in the roadway:

  • I-275 and Fowler Avenue
  • Busch Blvd and Florida Avenue
  • Nebraska Ave and Hillsborough Avenue
  • Hillsborough Ave and Central Avenue
  • Sligh Ave and Central Avenue
  • Fowler Ave and 30th Street
  • Sligh Ave and 15th Stree(tree in roadway)
  • Nebraska Ave and Hanna Avneue
  • 40th St and Hillsborough Avenue
  • 28th St Busch Blvd (tree in roadway)
  • Busch Boulevardand Boulevard

Most of the rest of the Bay area also received varying amounts of rain Tuesday. Showers and thunderstorms are likely again this afternoon, Bay News 9 chief meteorologist Mike Clay said.