More than 1.5 million homes and businesses across Maryland and Virginia lost power Friday night as one of the most powerful and punishing storms in months swept across the Washington region.
Two deaths were reported in the Springfield area of Fairfax County. A falling tree struck a car at Old Keene Mill Road and Bauer Drive, killing the male driver, said Officer Don Gotthardt, a Fairfax County police spokesman. A 90-year-old woman, who was sleeping, was killed after a tree fell on her house. In addition, a park police officer was injured by a falling tree and an 18-year-old man was struck by a power line. The ferocity of the storm appeared to reflect the intensity of the daytime heat that set records across the region, as the mercury at Reagan National Airport rose to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the storm raced eastward, fuelled by heat and humidity, wind gusts were estimated as high as 80 mph. Lightning flashed, winds rose to tornadic levels, and rain and hail pelted one spot after another, striking many areas. Early Saturday, Pepco reported more than 400,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in its service area, which includes Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the District of Columbia. The largest number of outages was reported in Montgomery. Dominion Virginia Power gave a figure of 750,000, which included customers throughout Virginia.
