Record-breaking tornadoes and thunderstorms that destroyed swaths of the South and claimed at least five lives in Virginia largely bypassed the Washington region, leaving residents only with the promise of cooler, sunnier days ahead. Residents of central and southern Virginia were not nearly so lucky. Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency in response to the state’s severe weather, authorizing state agencies to aid local responders.
The National Weather Service confirmed that at least three tornadoes touched down in the state. At least five people died – four in Washington County and one in Halifax County.
In the D.C. area, however, “we were spared,” said Pepco spokesman Andre Francis.
In all, Pepco had about 500 power outages as of Thursday afternoon, mostly in Silver Spring. The company serves about 780,000 homes and buildings throughout Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and the District.
Northern Virginia officials echoed the sentiment.
“In the end, we did not see the kind of impact from the storm that we could have seen,” said Dominion Power spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson.
By Thursday afternoon, about 50 homes in Leesburg remained without power, she said.
Local airports reported delays Thursday morning. Washington Dulles International continued to report hourlong delays throughout the afternoon. Threats of tornadoes lingered into the late afternoon for much of eastern Prince George’s County, but disappeared from radar screens by about 3 p.m.
As the clouds clear, National Weather Service forecasters expect the weekend to arrive sunnier and less humid, with highs in the mid-70s.
Farther south, residents from Mississippi to North Carolina will wake up to a long and arduous recovery from the third-deadliest tornado outbreak since 1950. The Red Cross reported nearly 3,000 people in storm shelters across 12 states, after at least 164 tornadoes touched down. Once rescuers sift through the pieces, the death toll is expected to top 200 people.
