Thousands of homes and businesses in the region were without power this morning, because of damaging thunderstorms that began last evening. As trees and power lines were toppled throughout the region during the night, funnel cloud sightings were reported from northern Bucks County into central New Jersey, but no tornados were confirmed, said Valerie Meola, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. Hail an inch or more in diameter was reported in Reading and parts of the Lehigh Valley, according to meteorologist Dean Iovino of the National Weather Service's Mount Holly Office. Want the whole story?