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Storms bring down trees, knock out power and expected to hinder Monday’s MARC service

July 21, 2019

Home » Weather News » Storms bring down trees,…

H.J. Mai | hjmai@wtop.com
Alejandro Alvarez | alejandro.alvarez@wtop.com
Zeke Hartner | zhartner@wtop.com

July 21, 2019, 11:55 PM

Spring thunderstorms danced across the skies during a stormy period beginning on Mother's Day weekend. Lightning flickered behind the U.S. Capitol late that Saturday. High winds ahead of the storms forced officials to stop traffic on Route 50 at the Bay Bridge for a time. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

After another scorching day in the D.C. area, strong evening storms brought down trees and left thousands of people without power.

Thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 60 mph caused havoc around the region, with trees falling on houses and across roadways. Heavy rainfall also flooded several streets in the WTOP listening area.

There are no reports of injuries.

Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, said in a Twitter post that all train traffic has been stopped after a tree fell across railroad tracks north of the Garrett Park MARC station.

Due to the downed tree, MARC’s Brunswick line will be impacted for the Monday morning commute. The rail service suggested that passengers consider alternate modes of transit if they usually enlist the service for their morning travel. Expect “major delays and train cancellations,” the rail service wrote in an early morning tweet.

 

The storms also knocked out power for thousands of customers in the area.

Pepco reported that close to 3,000 customers are without power as of 11:55 p.m., but by 4 a.m. Monday, that number had been reduced to about 700, mostly in Montgomery County.

In Northern Virginia, while at one point over 4,700 customers were in the dark, only about 1,000 remain without power, according to Dominion Energy. Most of those customers are in Loudoun County, just outside of Leesburg.

NOVEC reported 80 affected customers, while BGE is working on restoring power to just over 2,000 customers.

Out of the frying pan, into the flood

As if getting through this scorching heat weren’t enough, the area will also have to contend with flood chances at the beginning of the workweek. Thankfully, temperatures will be more tolerable.

The National Weather Service announced a the following areas and the D.C. will be under a flood watch that will be in effect from Monday afternoon through late Monday night.

Maryland

Anne Arundel, Carroll, Central and Southeast Howard Counties, Central and Southeast Montgomery County, Frederick, Northern Baltimore County, Northwest Harford County, Northwest Howard, Northwest Montgomery, Prince Georges, Southeast Harford Counties and Southern Baltimore.

Virginia

Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Clarke County, Eastern Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Frederick, Prince William County, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Western Loudoun County

Cooling centers:

DC

Cooling centers for residents and the homeless are open from noon to 6 p.m., with some outdoor pools, splash parks and shelters open later. View an interactive map of the District’s cooling centers.

Virginia

Maryland

Forecast:

More widespread thunderstorms are likely on Monday afternoon into Tuesday, when a cold front will sweep in from the Great Lakes and send temperatures back down into more seasonable mid to upper 80s.

Monday: A slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, becoming likely after midday. Highs near 90.

Tuesday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy and relatively cooler, with highs in the low to mid 80s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the low to mid 80s.

Power outages:

Current conditions:

WTOP’s Ana Srikanth and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alejandro Alvarez

Alejandro Alvarez joined WTOP as a digital journalist and editor in June 2018. He is a reporter and photographer focusing on politics, political activism and international affairs.

alejandro.alvarez@wtop.com
Zeke Hartner

Zeke Hartner is a digital writer/editor who has been with WTOP since 2017. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University’s Political Science program and an avid news junkie.

zhartner@wtop.com

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