A downed tree knocks down a live wire on Fresh Pond Neck Road in St. Mary’s County
Prince Frederick, MD – The lion that is early March is roaring through Southern Maryland this morning—Friday, March 2—resulting in downed trees, numerous electrical outages in all three counties and treacherous travel conditions. Regional school systems—Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties have closed for the day. Charles County Government is open with liberal leave in effect for non-essential employees. In St. Mary’s all local government administrative offices are closed.
According to Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), the outages are scattered throughout their coverage area, with nearly 1,800 reported in Calvert County. Co-op spokesman Tom Dennison told TheBayNet.com that many of the outages are occurring in the more rural parts of the territory such as Western Charles County and locations near the Patuxent and Potomac rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. “It’s definitely a system-wide event,” said Dennison of the outages. “It’s going to be a difficult one for us. We continue to see new feeder outages. It’s a drawn out situation.” Dennison said all SMECO crews are available along with 15 additional contractor crews.
At 7 a.m. a special statement was issued by the National Weather Service.
Special weather statement until 12 p.m. EST Friday …a high-impact windstorm is ongoing for The Greater Baltimore/Washington Region Of The Mid-Atlantic overnight through early Saturday morning… at 7 a.m. EST, high winds have spread across the region, with recently observed wind gusts at Washington Dulles International Airport of 67 mph, Washington Reagan National Airport of 62 mph, Naval Air Station Patuxent River of 66 mph, Joint Force Andrews of 62 mph, and Baltimore/Washington International Marshall Airport of 52 mph. Other high wind gust reports include of 69 mph in Gaithersburg in Montgomery County MD, and Ballenger Creek in Frederick County Md. Strong-to-damaging northwest winds will continue across the region, sustained at 30-40 mph, with gusts 60-70 mph. Isolated wind gusts could reach 80 mph, particularly at higher elevations west of the Interstate 95 corridor. The strongest winds will occur through noon EST today; however, winds will continue to gust from 55-65 mph this afternoon and continue through tonight. This will be a prolonged, high-impact windstorm for the region, with many downed trees and power lines expected. In addition to the magnitude of the high wind gusts, the duration of the winds will add to the hazardous nature of this event, as winds will continue through the weekend before diminishing below 30 mph Sunday afternoon. This will hamper the repair of power lines and tree removal. Widespread power outages are occurring. travel is dangerous, especially for high profile vehicles, and motorists need to be aware of rapidly changing road conditions due to the potential of downed trees and power lines. Pedestrians will face very hazardous conditions, and need to be aware of wind-borne projectiles. People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your homes during the windstorm, and avoid windows. If you use a portable generator, follow manufacturer’s instructions and do not use inside homes, garages, or apartments. A high wind warning is in effect through 6:00 am EST Saturday. This includes The Greater Metropolitan Areas of Baltimore and Washington DC. The high winds are in response to a strengthening low pressure system south of Cape Cod.
If you have any storm-related photos or videos, send them to news@thebaynet.com
