Strong winds whip through DC region

Wires were down and the road was closed between Lanark Way and Stirling Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Courtesy Pete Piringer)

A home on Burnett Avenue in Silver Spring was evacuated after a large tree fell on a house, Wires were down and the road was closed between Lanark Way and Stirling Road. (Courtesy Pete Piringer)

The 60 mile an hour plus winds last night toppled several trees on Thornapple Street in Chevy Chase, Maryland, hitting two separate houses. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) — The 60 mph-plus winds last night toppled several trees on Thornapple Street in Chevy Chase, Maryland, hitting two separate houses. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)

2 homes in 3500 blk of Thornapple St in Chevy Chase were hit by fallen trees due to last night's high winds. Luckily no injuries. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/sQnnesjYtv
— Kathy Stewart (@KStewartWTOP) February 13, 2017

(WTOP/Kathy Stewart)

A second home on Appleton Street in Chevy Chase was damaged by a falling tree last night due to the 60 mile an hour winds. @WTOP pic.twitter.com/tuwMwVjd8V
— Kathy Stewart (@KStewartWTOP) February 13, 2017

A second home on Appleton Street in Chevy Chase, Maryland was damaged by a falling tree Sunday night due to the 60 mph winds. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)

Tree-trimming trucks stand by in Wheaton, Maryland should they be needed in the high winds. (WTOP/Rich Johnson)

Last night's high winds caused a tree to come down on the back of this home in Chevy Chase, Md @WTOP pic.twitter.com/rb8JqtthgR
— Kathy Stewart (@KStewartWTOP) February 13, 2017

Last night’s high winds caused a tree to come down on the back of this home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart) (WTOP/Rich Johnson)

@ARLnowDOTcom Electrical fire on south Quinn and Columbia pike along with a big tree in the middle of the street pic.twitter.com/MRFFO46iC2
— ᴊᴀsᴍɪɴᴇ (@Parks_Jasmine) February 13, 2017

Downed wires caused an electrical fire on South Quinn Street and Columbia Pike in Arlington, Virginia. (Courtesy @Parks_Jasmine via Twitter) (WTOP/Rich Johnson)

Flying debris caused damage early Morning as strong winds gusted up to 60 mph in parts of D.C. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS)

Strong winds toppled a roof in Southeast D.C. early Monday. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS)

The scene on Bruce Place SE that D.C. Fire and EMS responded to shortly after midnight Sunday. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS) — The scene on Bruce Place Southeast that D.C. Fire and EMS responded to shortly after midnight Sunday. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS)

(Warnings: National Weather Service/ Graphics: Storm Team 4)

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue recommend these steps upon coming across a downed power line. (Courtesy Fairfax Fire and Rescue)

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WASHINGTON — While crews are working to restore outages in the greater D.C. metro area, thousands are still without power from strong winds ripping through the region at gusts above 70 mph.

Downed lines and damages had local authorities closing roads and responding to residences through the morning. Fallen trees hit several homes in Chevy Chase, Maryland, while part of an apartment building’s roof blew off in southeast D.C.

The National Weather Service initially issued a fairly rare High Wind Warning for Maryland, Virginia and D.C. Monday afternoon, but it was downgraded to a wind advisory and canceled Monday evening.

More than 30,000 power outages were reported across Maryland, Virginia and D.C. at one point. Fairfax County was hit the hardest, with more than 7,000 residents without power at its peak.

Peak gusts had reached 65 mph at Reagan National and 73 mph at Joint Base Andrews by the early morning hours.

POWER OUTAGES:

Heavy winds caused thousands of power outages early Monday.

Pepco reported a decrease in outages in the morning from overnight, but thousands were still without power. Officials said there was a problem with one of their sub stations involving three feeders, which affected about 6,000 people. They hope to have full restoration by evening.

If you need the phone number for your power company, text the word POWER to 91035 and we’ll text it back to you.

CLOSINGS AND DELAYS:

Fairfax County Public Schools delayed opening for two hours Monday as a result of power outages in the area.

Get the full list of closings and delays on WTOP.com.

WEATHER:

Two distinct storm systems combining into one off the coast of New England brought the WTOP listening area a very strong windstorm expected to last throughout Monday. The National Weather Service issued rare High Wind Warnings for most of the area.

Winds all day will be sustained in the range of 20 to 35 mph with some gusts as high as 40 to 60 mph. Northwest winds may still gust over 50 to 60 mph for the remainder of the daylight hours before diminishing Sunday evening. Because of all the wind, temperatures will stay in the 40s all of Monday, but with plenty of sunshine. Read more in Matt Ritter’s workweek weather blog.

Get the full forecast on the WTOP.com weather page.

TRAFFIC:

Drivers are urged to use caution while driving, due to downed power lines, fallen trees and debris. The Virginia Department of Transportation reported some signals dark. In this case, drivers should treat each traffic light as a four-way stop, with the driver on the right having the right-of-way.

Wind restrictions are in effect along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on U.S. 50.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to at least 25 calls for downed wires since 11 p.m. Sunday through Monday morning. Officials ask anyone who sees a downed power line to notify local authorities immediately, and to call 911 if someone or something comes in contact with the downed power line.

Get the latest traffic updates on the WTOP traffic page, by following @WTOPTraffic on Twitter and by listening to 103.5 FM on-air or online.

COMMUTING/TRAVEL:

Unrelated to the weather, but worth noting, Metro is shutting down the Blue Line until Feb. 28, cutting off connections between the Orange and Silver Lines at Rosslyn and the stations served by the Blue and Yellow lines from the Pentagon through Alexandria to Franconia-Springfield.

No flights were cancelled in D.C.-area airports. BWI Marshall reported delays in Boston due to weather.

Check flight statuses at Flightaware.

LISTEN LIVE:

Listen live on WTOP.com, on the WTOP app or tune in to 103.5 FM.