Severe weather Thursday caused damage, and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses across Alabama. Alabama Power said nearly 230,000 customers lost service statewide. As many as 48,000 outages were reported in Jefferson County, with 20,000 in Shelby County. Those numbers were falling Thursday evening, as crews worked to restore service. The power company said more than 300 poles were toppled, and urged the public to avoid downed lines. The severe thunderstorms that pushed through the Birmingham area contained strong winds. A gust of 58 mph was reported at the Birmingham airport. A tree fell onto a house on Westover Drive in Homewood, causing damage but no injuries. In Riverside, an apartment complex lost part of its roof. In east Alabama, the weather proved deadly, after a tree fell onto a car, killing a man in Lineville.