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Comparing Washington’s recent derechos

This graphic shows the National Weather Service Weather Radar of the June 29, 2012 derecho compared with the June 4, 2008 derecho. The 2012 complex of storms and its swath of wind damage was much larger than the 2008 event. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)
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Dave Dildine, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – The severe windstorm that roared southeast from the Great Lakes into the Mid-Atlantic in June was an extreme weather event for the Washington, D.C. metro area. The storm system left extensive tree damage in its wake and more than one million people were without power.

The storm complex was a “derecho.” Although the intensity of the June storms was exceptional, it’s happened before.

A derecho of similar speed and intensity struck the region the afternoon of June 4, 2008. Like June 2012’s windstorm, the

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