Strong Storms Pound Montgomery County
UPDATED Thousands of Montgomery County residents from Gaithersburg to Olney found themselves in the dark during the evening of May 27 after a strong line of thunderstorms swept through the area.
At one point, Pepco’s online outage maps indicated more than 35,000 customers in Montgomery County were without power. At 6:30 a.m. on May 28, there were still 855 Pepco customers with no electricity in Montgomery County.
Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer reported power lines and trees down and widespread power outages in the Upcounty. Residents were reminded to treat dark traffic signals as four-way stops.
At 6:30 a.m. on May 28, southbound N. Frederick Avenue (355) remained closed at Plummer Drive following the stormy weather. Motorists were advised to find an alternate route and expect increased congestion in that area.
At one point during the storm, Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice reported on his Twitter account that pea-sized hail was falling at his home in Germantown. Other residents posted photos of hail falling on their decks and lawns.
According to a National Weather Service warning, the storm was capable of producing hail up to the size of quarters and included damaging winds in excess of 60 mph.
A Germantown woman walking her dog at Brink Road and Blunt Road was injured at about 7 p.m. last night after a lightning bolt struck nearby. Piringer said the woman was transported to the hospital with serious but non life threatening injuries.
Cleanup continues and more storms are predicted for the region later today (May 28).
See more storm coverage from Twitter below:
Weather Observation Very strong winds, heavy rain, hail along Rt355 just N Rt124, power seems to be out in area, too pic.twitter.com/BCBO0zuwfW
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 27, 2014
Photo pole snapped & wires down Rt355 near High Point Dr – power restored in some areas, still out North Germantown pic.twitter.com/jyqqSKYg5L
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 28, 2014
Traffic advisory – many traffic signals out along Rt 355 thru Gaithersburg near Rt124 & north towards Middlebrook Rd – numerous tree down
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 27, 2014
Upcounty please be careful. Heavy thunderstorms with cloud to ground lightning strikes are rolling through right now. Seek shelter indoors! — Craig Rice (@RicePolitics) May 27, 2014
Traffic Advisory – wires, trees, poles DOWN SB Rt355 near High Point Dr some lanes BLOCKED & power out in area pic.twitter.com/8qEZkOlsKc — Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 27, 2014
Still thundering in Gaithersburg although rain is slowing down.
— Sonya Burke (@SonyaNBurke) May 27, 2014
Pea-sized hail is now coming down in Germantown!
— Craig Rice (@RicePolitics) May 27, 2014
Use extreme caution around downed/damaged power lines. Don’t remove fallen tree limbs or other debris from lines. Treat all wires as if live
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 27, 2014
Due to a power outage, the Germantown campus of Montgomery College is closed tonight, May 27.
— Craig Rice (@RicePolitics) May 27, 2014
Engage us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Tweets by @mymcmedia