Gusty storms hit parts of DC area Friday evening

As cleanup begins in Middleburg, Virginia, after severe thunderstorms moved through the area Friday evening, weather in the rest of the D.C. region has settled down.

Fast-moving storms made their way through the DMV from about 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. with some packing high winds, to cap off a day of record-breaking heat.

There are reports of trees and power lines fallen in Middleburg from wind gusts that went up to 60 mph there and other parts of Northern Virginia.

“We had a punch of severe weather, and there will be more to come on Sunday” said Verionica Johnson, 7 News First Alert chief meterologist.

Meanwhile, on Saturday expect temperatures to hit about 90 degrees, but with low humidity, which will feel like a relief after Friday’s elevated heat index.

At 8:30 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Route 50 corridor, central Anne Arundel County and northeastern Prince Georges County until 9 p.m.

Wind gusts over 80 mph were recorded on the Bay Bridge at 9 p.m., the NWS announced.

The NWS cancelled severe storm warnings in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland and in 23 counties in Virginia including Arlington, Stafford, Fauquier, Prince William and Fairfax counties.

Outside of the stormy weather, Friday was extremely hot and humid. WTOP Meteorologist Mike Stinneford said temperatures reached a record high of 98 degrees at Reagan Airport, shattering the old record of 95 set in 2017.

Highs were in the upper 90s Friday, but temperatures felt much hotter, possibly as high as 105 degrees, according to NWS.

The severe weather hit D.C. as the region was working to recover from Thursday’s damaging storms that knocked out power for tens of thousands of people and toppled trees, killing two women.

“Once the storms clear later this evening, we’ll see our temperatures drop to the 60s,” said 7 News First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin

2 dead from Thursday’s storms

Two women were killed by fallen trees in Maryland during Thursday night’s storms, according to officials.

One woman was trapped under a fallen tree near Matthew Henson Trail between Spruce Hill Road and Regina Drive in Aspen Hill at around 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services.

She did not survive her injuries.

Around the same time, fire crews in Prince George’s County responded to North Marlton Avenue near Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, where another woman was found with traumatic injuries after being hit by a fallen tree. She died at the scene.

Fire officials told WTOP that there appeared to have been several “microbursts” of thunderstorms in a short period of time Thursday. Those microbursts can produce damaging winds of over 100 mph and are often mistaken for tornadoes.

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Cleanup from Thursday evening’s storms carried into Friday morning, WTOP’s Neal Augenstein reported.

In Silver Spring, Maryland, the storm sheared off the top of a utility pole located at the intersection of Silver Spring Avenue and Nolte Avenue. Downed utility wires were draped across bushes and driveways in the tightly-configured neighborhood.

Tree crews began work at sunrise to stand-up new utility poles that had been delivered overnight on a flatbed truck.

DC-area crews clean up after recent storm damage

Nearby, the burned-out shell of a car that caught fire during the storm remained. The owner of the car walked from a nearby home to inspect the damage in the early morning sun.

Weekend weather

Saturday is projected to be a calmer weather day, with a mix of sunshine and a few passing clouds.

“Plenty of sunshine, lower humidity, so that stickiness factor won’t be there, 85 to 90 degrees,” Rudin said.

But severe weather is back in the forecast Sunday with a humid air mass and a cold front leading to possible scattered showers and thunderstorms. Those with outdoor plans should reconsider.