Winds gusting up to 78 mph ripped roofs from buildings and blocked roadways across the state, with southwest and central Ohio bearing the brunt of the storm's force, according to the National Weather Service.

"What we experienced was a hurricane-force wind gust," said meteorologist Myron Padgett at the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

A falling tree killed two motorcyclists in Hueston Woods State Park in southwest Ohio, authorities said. A 12-year-old boy near Cleveland was hit by a tree branch and died of severe head injuries, Lorain County Coroner Paul Matus said.

And a woman died in the Cincinnati suburb of Mt. Healthy when a tree fell through the roof of her home.

A contractor was elecrocuted in Scioto Village Youth Facility.

And ONN affiliate WBNS in Columbus also is reporting that the father of missing Ohio State student Brian Shaffer was killed Sunday night after a tree fell on him outside his home.

Randy Shaffer spent the last two years finding information about his son, Brian, who disappeared on April 1, 2006, at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, located near the Ohio State campus.

For the latest information on the storm and power outages, keep checking back to ONNtv.com.

©2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.