A series of powerful thunderstorms in western and central Maine on Wednesday knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses, forced the closure of a major road in the Sebago Lake region and caused flooding that forecasters said dumped as much as 6 inches of rain on towns in Oxford County.

“These storms were dropping a lot of rain a very short period of time,” said Eric Sinsabaugh, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray.

Sinsabaugh said radar and ground reports confirmed that 4 to 6 inches of rain fell on the Oxford County town of Rumford in one to two hours.

WCSH-TV reported late Wednesday night that the torrential rain caused roads to collapse in Rumford.

In Waterville, lightning struck an apartment building. No one was injured, and the lightning strike did not start a fire.

In Sebago, police closed Route 114 for more than two hours after powerful winds pushed trees onto power lines, which fell into the road. A Standish police dispatcher said the road, which connects Standish with Naples, was closed at 6:46 p.m., and reopened at 9.

As of 10:30 p.m., Central Maine Power Co. was reporting more than 11,000 customers without power, most of them in Oxford, Franklin and Piscataquis counties. CMP said crews would work through the night to restore power.

Sinsabaugh said the weather could remain unsettled through Friday evening, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms.