WASHINGTON — The WUSA9 Weather Watch Team has issued a Weather Watch Alert. Here is a complete timeline of when the most active weather will occur in the DMV.
TIMELINE:
- Now - 11 p.m.: Scattered showers and storms. Heavy rain is possible. Most storms will be below severe criteria at this point.
PREPARATION
Dominion Energy was asking Virginia residents to be prepared in case of power outages, and sent crews out to replace poles ahead of Monday night's expected storms; replacing an individual pole with a more durable version can take up to 8 hours.
"We are constantly working to better our grid and make it more resilient," Allen Moon, a superintendent with Dominion Energy, said. "It's so important in today's times with so many people working from home."
WUSA9 spoke to crews out in the Springfield, Virginia neighborhood where some poles are as old as 40 or 50 years. Moon said they were changing out wooden arms with fiber glass options, and making them bigger, taller poles.
This is what we do: we prepare, we harden the grid," Dominion Energy spokesperson Peggy Fox said. "When there's an outage it may take a while. Sometimes we can power back and get it restored immediately but when poles are down that takes a while."
WATCH VS WARNING
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means that severe storms are likely. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning means that severe storms are happening now or will happen soon in your area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued until 9 P.M. for most of the DMV.
A Tornado Watch means that tornadoes are possible. A Tornado Warning means that a tornado is likely happening in your area or will be in your area soon. This is the time you should take precaution to stay safe, like getting indoors and in the most interior part of your home or building.
SAFETY TIPS
A power outage can be caused by a myriad of things but it is important to be as prepared as you possibly can, especially during severe weather. Extended power outages can impact everyone from a home to an entire community. It can cause issues with communication, prevent the use of medical devices, impact access to water and cause food to spoil while grocery stores may be closed.
Dominion Energy says residents should not connect any portable generators to a home's electrical system. Under no circumstances should you ever bring a generator into your home in order to create heat. Odorless and colorless carbon monoxide gas from gas-fueled heaters and generators can build up, resulting in injuries or even death.
Dominion Energy also urges residents in areas under any severe weather threat to keep devices charged in advance in case of a power outage, as well as to never assume that just because a power line is down that it's no longer active; keep your distance.
