Following a long dry spell in Cayuga County, a mid-afternoon thunderstorm Tuesday left many areas of the county temporarily powerless and the Fingerlakes Mall evacuated.

Brian Dahl, director of Cayuga County Emergency Services, said Tuesday evening that following the storm, his office responded to multiple tree fallings and several fallen power lines around the county, many in the town of Owasco.

Auburn Fire Department Assistant Chief James Lattimore said they received a few calls after the 2 p.m. storm for lightning strikes.

The department also sent one company to assist the Aurelius Department in handling a lightning strike at the Fingerlakes Mall. A lighting bolt zapped a transformer at the Aurelius shopping center. Emergency responders evacuated shoppers in the afternoon.

Seven fire departments and the county's Emergency Services departments responded to the mall scene. The mall reopened at 5 p.m., Dahl said.