High Winds Create Damage, Power Outages, Event Changes

The strong winds Saturday night have created power problems, down trees and changes for some events on Sunday.

Storm Team4’s Tom Kierein said the high wind advisory that was supposed to continue until noon has been cancelled. Wind gusts in the area diminished to below 40 mph by 7 a.m. Sunday after gusts of nearly 60 mph were recorded at some area airports.

Downed power lines have left some customers without electricity as they wake up Sunday. As of 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Dominion Virginia is reporting 656 customers without power in Northern Virginia. Pepco is reporting about 30 without power and Baltimore Gas and Electric reports 821 without power.

Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said Rockville, Potomac and Colesville were the area most impacted in the county. He said debris and downed power lines on the roadway could create problems for drivers.

Fallen trees created issues for power companies and drivers throughout the night. A tree in College Park, Maryland, came crashing down onto a car with two people inside and damaged a nearby home.

Fire crews had to cut one person out of the car near 49th Avenue and Hollywood Road. The person was removed from the damaged car and taken to a trauma center, according to the Prince George’s County Fire Department chief spokesperson.

The high winds potential also changed a race Sunday morning. The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run cancelled their Kids’ Run but both the 10 mile and 5K races are going off as planned.

At the Cherry Blossom Festival, performances and operations at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area and NA Performance Stage have been cancelled due to the high winds. Two tents reportedly collapsed, and others may have been weakened by the strong gusts.

Kierein said weather conditions will improve with sunny skies Sunday afternoon with much less wind and highs near 50.

In the region, storms are leaving snow, rain, thunder and wind across parts of the East Coast this weekend.

Thunderstorms rumbled through Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland while New England was seeing snow. Not unusual for New Englanders, but given the mild winter of late, another reminder of where they live. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for early Sunday morning through near the noon hour for most of southern New England.

Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts could see high winds and 1 to 4 inches of snow with the potential for thundersnow. That could mean heavy snowfall with whiteout conditions. Forecasters also are warning of high winds in parts of Connecticut and in Vermont.

Southern New Hampshire could see 2 to 4 inches of snow and wind gusts of up to 50 mph. York County in Maine could get 2 inches of snow, with less farther north.

Forecasters say the winds could cause tree damage and scattered power outages.