Rains that pelted the Washington area on-and-off for more than 24 hours were expected to subside Thursday night, leaving high water levels and power outages in their wake.
AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend said wet roads likely contributed to two high-profile crashes. On Wednesday afternoon, a tour bus went through a guardrail on Interstate 270, killing the driver and injuring several passengers. On Thursday morning, one Metrobus rear-ended another in Silver Spring, sending 26 passengers to the hospital with minor injuries.
Slick driving conditions “can have a devastating impact on the commute,” Townsend said.
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesman Pete Piringer said crashes were reported throughout the city on major roadways, “but I can’t say how many were storm related.”
Pepco spokesman Clay Anderson said power outages around the area caused by water-logged circuits or fallen trees were continuing to be reported, but it was by no means an “extreme situation.” As of Thursday afternoon, 7,604 outages were reported in Montgomery County (the majority of them in Rockville), 2,390 outages in the District and 1,980 outages in Prince George’s County.
Anderson said additional repair crews have been out since Wednesday evening, responding within two to three hours of the notification. Crews are expected to have all power restored by Friday morning.
Baltimore-area schools were affected by the storms, resulting in closures in Havre De Grace because of potential flooding of low-lying roads. Cecil County Public Schools spokeswoman Kelly Keeton said all 30 schools dismissed early because they were advised by emergency services of the increased amount of flooding on the local roads.
Maryland police issued an advisory requesting swimmers and boaters to cease activity on the Potomac through the weekend because of high water levels.
The District received more than 2 inches of rain on Thursday afternoon and several areas around the region received more, topped by 7 inches in St. Mary’s County.
National Weather Service spokeswoman Heather Sheffield said the rainy weather will be followed by high pressures and temperatures in the upper 60s.
“It will be like fall this weekend,” she said.
