The storms came and went in a matter of minutes but the cleanup for homeowners in our area could last for days and even weeks. News4’s Shomari Stone is in Kensington, Maryland, with a closer look at some of the damage.
A line of strong, potentially dangerous storms barreled into the D.C. area Wednesday afternoon, bringing damaging winds that caused scattered power outages, as well as reports of lightning and hail.
Many watches and warnings for the metro D.C. area were dropped shortly after 2:15 p.m. (See all areas under warnings here.) But wind gusts were intense in places. In Quantico, Virginia, Storm Team4 recorded a 78-mile-per-hour gust.
The storms -- which moved rapidly east -- left damage in their wake. Near the intersection of Canal and Foxhall roads, a tree fell and hit a car, which then crashed into a pickup truck.
The first driver was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
A large tree fell onto a house in Silver Spring, near the intersection of Forest Glen Road and Dameron Drive. No one was injured.
Another tree fell on River Road between Seneca Road and Violettes Lock Road, pulling down power lines. The road was blocked; a driver who was in the area was not hurt, according to a tweet from Pete Piringer, spokesperson for Montgomery County's fire and rescue service.
Power outages were scattered throughout the region. In Virginia, Dominion Power reported almost 22,000 customers were left without power after the storms.
Almost 6,500 people were without power in Prince George's County, Pepco said. More than 3,200 people were without power in D.C., and about 2,900 in Montgomery County.
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That included six Montgomery County public schools, including Walter Johnson High School, the Blair G. Ewing Center and four elemetary schools: Sherwood, Burnt Mills, Ashburton and Daly.
All afternoon and evening activities at Prince George's County Public Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools and Stafford County Public Schools have been canceled.
Before the stormy weather dampened the day, temperatures reached 80 degrees in D.C. and tied a record for high temperatures in March.
The rain should taper off by 9 p.m., then it will get windy and colder. The region will see temperatures in only the mid 50s Thursday.
