About 1,000 customers were still without power in Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon after Tuesday’s battering of rain and hail pulled down power lines and knocked over trees across the city, utility officials said.

Tree limbs littered the roads in North Baltimore, and a number of power lines were still dislodged Wednesday morning, according to area residents. The storm had even ripped off the roof of Finnerteas, a Hampden-area restaurant, and propelled it onto the street, making it difficult for crews to restore power.

Linda Robinson, 23, of Hampden, was at work across the street from Finnerteas on Tuesday when she heard the thunder and lightning begin to crackle over the city.

“I looked out the window and saw sparks flying and debris falling,” she said. “I thought we were going to catch on fire. I didn’t know what was happening. The roof was hanging off the power lines.”

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Baltimore Gas and Electric spokeswoman Linda Foy said the scattered debris made it difficult for crews to restore power to the area as quickly as possible.

“Hampden was one of the areas that saw a lot of damage,” she said.

Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties also were hit badly, she said, and there were still handfuls of powerless residents across the metro area Wednesday afternoon because of the damage. She said BGE hoped to restore power to most customers as soon as possible.

Examiner Photographer Kristine Buls contributed to this story.

sgentile@baltimoreexaminer.com