PHOTOS: Thunderstorms whack DC area, toppling trees and causing 200K outages

Powerful storms whacked the D.C. area on Thursday, toppling trees onto cars, vehicles and power lines.

Tree falls onto a Metrobus in Montgomery Co. after strong storms

At one point, 200,00 households were without power.

WTOP Meteorologist Mike Stinneford said the storm cells produced 70 mph winds that easily pulled down trees and power lines.

One truck was engulfed in flames after trees fell on it in Mohican Hills in Bethesda, Maryland.

And a fallen tree caused a Bethesda homeowner’s roof to collapse.

The storms also complicated the evening commute for drivers heading home from work Thursday evening, WTOP Traffic reported. A tree fell into roadways, providing an obstacle for some drivers right as whipping winds and downpours made for poor visibility.

A cold front bringing in the thunderstorms cooled off the humid temperatures in the D.C. region, providing a brief reprieve ahead of a heat wave that’s expected to begin this weekend.

Before the sizzling temperatures settle in, here’s a look at photos and videos from Thursday’s storms.

A photo of storm clouds in Culpeper, Virginia, on June 19, 2025.

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