Power outages and winds linger as DC-area surveys damage from Saturday’s storms
Thousands of D.C-area residents are waking up in the dark after Saturday’s high winds and storms caused power outages to linger into Sunday morning.
Winds remain strong Sunday morning with some gusts up to 30 mph. But by the afternoon, winds are expected to slow to 5-10 mph.
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“Winds gradually calm through this morning with any early morning clouds clearing through the first few hours of daylight,” WTOP meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts said.
While winds largely died down overnight, gusts up to 70 mph damaged power lines on Saturday and some outages remain.
Winds continue to decrease today with high pressure building in. Expect NW gusts up to 30 mph this morning decreasing to 20 mph this afternoon. Highs will top out in the mid to upper 50s for most outside the mountains. Turning warmer Monday & Tuesday. #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/0wLNNFvBL5
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) April 2, 2023
“There’s probably some residual power outages … due to downed trees,” Brendon Rubin-Oster, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service told WTOP. “But largely speaking, the winds have dropped to 25-35 mph so we’re not anticipating any additional power issues.
In Virginia, Dominion energy reports nearly 9,000 homes in Fairfax County are without power, as of early Sunday, down from around 23,000 on Saturday night.
Around 1,700 Arlington customers and more than 700 others in Alexandria are also experiencing outages.
Meanwhile, in Maryland, around 1,000 Pepco customers are affected in Prince George’s County. More than 4,500 customers in Anne Arundel County are without power, according to the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company.
Utility crews told WTOP that crews are working to restore power to all customers as quickly and safely as possible.
Downed branches and trees impacted some roadways in the D.C. region following Saturday’s storms.
A large tree on Patridge Lane in Northwest snapped a Pepco pole in half, according to D.C. Fire and EMS.
Around 7:45 p.m., the department said a fence that was blown down, striking a vehicle. Though officials were able to remove the trapped driver who wasn’t injured, it came after hours of severe weather impacts.
Peak wind gusts
The National Weather Service recorded the highest wind gusts recorded on Saturday.
In the District:
- George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus 64 mph
- Baltimore Washington International Airport 63 mph
- Naval Academy 58 mph
In Maryland:
- Woodsboro (Frederick County) 68mph
- Mount Airy 49 mph
- Cabin John 65 mph
- College Park 51 mph
In Virginia:
- Quantico 56 mph
- Reagan National Airport 58 mph
- Dulles International Airport 68 mph
Gusts also reached 63 mph on the Bay Bridge, prompting the bridge to be temporarily closed to drivers on Saturday.
Current weather
Forecast
SUNDAY: Sunny and slightly breezy. Wind: NW 10-15 mph with gusts to 30 mph. High: Low 60s.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny. Wind: SW 10-20 mph. High: Upper 60s.
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. High: Mid to Upper 70s.
WEDNESDAY: Increasing clouds with a shower or thunderstorm. High: Upper 70s.
Power Outage Map for Virginia, Maryland and D.C.
The map below contains current power outages in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. This map is updated every 10 minutes.
WTOP’s Grace Newton, Ivy Lyons and Ciara Wells contributed to this report.