SOUTHERN MARYLAND — Hundreds of Southern Maryland residents are dealing with scattered power outages as strong thunderstorms move through the region on the Fourth of July.
According to the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) outage map, outages continue to increase across St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert counties, with numerous neighborhoods reporting power interruptions as severe weather sweeps across the area.
The storms have brought heavy rain, frequent lightning and powerful wind gusts, with forecasters warning that some areas could experience winds between 70 and 80 mph. Those damaging winds have the potential to knock down trees and power lines, leading to additional outages throughout the evening.
SMECO crews are actively responding to outage reports and working to restore service as quickly and safely as conditions allow. Restoration times may vary depending on the extent of the damage and ongoing weather conditions.
Residents are encouraged to:
- Stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately.
- Use flashlights instead of candles if power is lost.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible.
- Charge mobile devices when power is available.
- Monitor local weather updates in case additional severe thunderstorm warnings are issued.
Customers can check the latest outage information and report outages using the SMECO Outage Map, which is updated as new reports are received.
With severe weather expected to continue through the evening, additional outages remain possible across Southern Maryland. Stay weather-aware and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions as the storms move through the region.
Check the SMECO outage map HERE