Storm Packs a Punch in North Escambia: Trees Snapped, Lines Downed, and Hundreds Left in the Dark

July 1, 2026

A strong evening thunderstorm Tuesday evening  in North Escambia left hundreds without power and caused minor damage.

High winds left about one-third of Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s members in Escambia County without power after numerous poles and power lines were knocked down.

At one point in the evening, EREC reported about 1,600 members without power, with about 500 of them along South Highway 99 in Walnut Hill, Bay Springs, and Barrineau Park. Shortly after 6 p.m., at least seven poles were downed or snapped, bringing power lines down alongside or across South Highway 99 about half a mile south of Highway 97.

EREC crews worked for hours, restoring power on that feeder line by about midnight.

Several small trees in the area were also snapped at residences on South Highway 99.

For more photos, click here.

Additional power poles and lines were downed on Highway 97 and Highway 97A.

Officials said it appeared the damage was caused by straight-line winds. There were no injuries reported.

Escambia County Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments





Have a comment on this story?

We welcome your comments on this story, but there are some rules to follow::

(1) Be Nice. No comments that slander another, no racism, no sexism, no personal attacks.

(2) No Harrassing Comments. If someone says something bad about you, don't respond. That's childish.

(3) No Libel. That's saying something is not true about someone. Don't do it.

(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions. Period.

(5) NorthEscambia.com reserves the right to remove any comments that violate our rules or we think to be inappropriate. We are not responsible for what is posted. Comments may not appear right away until they are approved by a moderator.

(6) Limit your comments to the subject in this story only, and limit comments to 300 words or less. Do not post copyrighted material. Comments will not be added to stories that are over 30 days old.

(7) No posts may advertise a commercial business, political candidate or political group, or link to another commercial web site or political site of any kind.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES