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Tens of thousands of D.C.-area residents spent their Thursday evening without power after quick-moving storms poured down on the region, bringing powerful winds that toppled trees and caused damage to several homes.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo, who reported from the Capital Beltway on Thursday, said there were crews out on the roads to clear debris where trees had fallen. He said a homeowner in Bethesda was planning to take a nap in the master bedroom before storms rushed in, leading him to shelter in the basement. Then a tree collapsed the roof in.
“Just potentially saved his life here today,” Murillo said.
WTOP’s Jimmy Alexander saw a truck engulfed in flames after trees fell on it in the Mohican Hills neighborhood in Bethesda, Maryland.
Chris White told Alexander that he watched a tree fall onto power lines, which then fell on a landscaper’s truck.
“If you’ve got a lot of trees, you may end up having these problems with these really high, extreme weather events that we’re starting to have more and more,” White said.
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Power outages
At some point more than 100,000 customers throughout the D.C. region were without power Thursday, including in Fairfax County where more than 75,000 were in the dark
Montgomery County Fire and EMS spokesman Pete Piringer told WTOP’s Nick Iannelli Thursday that he’s heard dozens of reports for trees down on houses, but is not aware of any serious injuries.
“The activity was fierce and furious there for a while,” Piringer said. “The wind was really whipping around. Large trees are just twisting and turning.”
Before power was restored, Aisha Khan with Dominion Energy told Iannelli, “I do ask our customers, stay away from downed power lines so that our crews can do the work and get your power back online.”
Traffic impact
The storms affected the Thursday evening commute, leaving those who braved the roads on Juneteenth going in circles. WTOP Traffic Reporter Dave Dildine said he saw reports of crashes, dark traffic signals and heavy volume on area roads.
“Wet and wild; it is terrible driving weather moving into the close and western suburbs,” Dildine reported around 4:10 p.m. in reference to Prince William County roads.
Several trees were blown onto the right lanes of the Outer Loop of the Beltway between River Road and the American Legion Bridge.
In Falls Church, Virginia, a tree crashed into several cars on the Dulles Connector Road between Route 123 and Interstate 66.
Trees fell on Georgetown Pike and Walker Road in Great Falls, stalling firefighters who were trying to reach other emergencies.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge was closed for about 15 minutes during the peak of the howling winds.
“If you’re one of the last drivers on the bridge spans, you’re going to be OK, but you’re going to feel the wind rocking you around a little bit. Hold on tight,” Dildine added.
During the evening commute, much of the D.C. area was under a severe thunderstorm warning by the National Weather Service. The D.C. region saw a half inch of rain, as the storms moved too quickly to produce flooding, WTOP meteorologist Mike Stinneford said.
“The saturated ground made it easier for the high winds to topple trees,” Stinneford said.
At Reagan National Airport, wind gusts reached 61 mph at one point, Stinneford said.
Stinneford said the storm cells produced 70 mph winds that easily pulled down trees and power lines.
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