WASHINGTON — As the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby will impact DC, Maryland, and Virginia starting Thursday, WUSA9 is keeping an eye on the forecast, as well as any power outages, damages, traffic alerts or event cancellations due to the weather.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for DC, Montgomery County in Maryland and Arlington, Fairfax, city of Alexandria and city of Falls Church in Virginia until 1 p.m.
There is a Flood Watch in effect for the following areas until 2 p.m.:
Washington, DC; Carroll; Northern Baltimore; Cecil; Southern Baltimore; Prince George's; Anne Arundel; Northwest Montgomery; Central and Southeast Montgomery; Northwest Howard; Central and Southeast Howard; Northwest Harford; Southeast Harford; Fairfax; Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria; Southern Fauquier; Eastern Loudoun; Northwest Prince William; Central and Southeast Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park.
The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for the following areas until 2 p.m.:
Washington, DC; Anne Arundel, MD; Baltimore, MD; Calvert, MD; Carroll, MD; Cecil, MD; Charles, MD; Frederick, MD; Harford, MD; Howard, MD; Montgomery, MD; Prince George's, MD; St. Mary's, MD; Washington, MD; Baltimore City, MD; Arlington, VA; Clarke, VA; Culpeper, VA; Fairfax, VA; Fauquier, VA; Frederick, VA; Greene, VA; King George, VA; Loudoun, VA; Madison, VA; Orange, VA; Page, VA; Prince William, VA; Rappahannock, VA; Shenandoah, VA; Spotsylvania, VA; Stafford, VA; Warren, VA; City of Alexandria, VA; City of Fairfax, VA; City of Falls Church, VA; City of Fredericksburg, VA; City of Manassas, VA; City of Manassas Park, VA; City of Winchester, VA; Berkeley, WV; Hampshire, WV; Jefferson, WV; Morgan, WV.
National Weather Service team has preliminary confirmed a tornado touched down in Stafford County along Hartwood Road near Park Farm Lane at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Closures/Cancellations/Postponements
Howard University move-in day has been postponed to Saturday. Students can still move in Friday, but the official media move-in will be Saturday.
Spotsylvania County Schools are on a 2-hour delay on Friday.
Culpeper County Schools will be closed on August 9. Twelve-month employees do not have to report to school. Essential personnel is expected to report on time. All evening activities scheduled for Thursday are canceled.
Prince George's County Public Schools have canceled all student/youth programs and activities for August 9. All special education non-public trips are canceled. School buildings will remain open for staff.
Howard County Public Schools have canceled the following for Friday:
- All outdoor activities involving HCPSS students and staff
- All community-sponsored programs on HCPSS outdoor facilities
- Transportation for non-public school students
Montgomery County Public Schools is not in session yet but has canceled for Friday:
- Transportation services for Montgomery County Public School students and non-public school students
- Richard Montgomery High School’s summer school program
- Arcola Elementary School's summer program will be closed
The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is closed Friday and plans to open at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Updated information can be found here.
Power Outages:
As of 9:30 a.m., Pepco has reported 2,223 customers are being affected by 47 outages and Dominion has reported no outages in Northern Virginia.
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. Odorless and colorless carbon monoxide gas from gas-fueled heaters and generators can build up if brought into a home, resulting in injuries or even death.
Traffic Alerts:
In Montgomery County, Piney Branch Road and Barron Street is blocked due to high water, according to emergency medical service.
All MARC trains are on hold due to inclement weather. There are about 100 minute delays.
A tree was reported across the tracks of the MARC Brunswick line at the Barnesville station. The tree has now been cleared, but trains are not running at this time.
Another tree has fallen near Beallsville and Sellman roads in Dickerson. According to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service public information officer Pete Piringer, some lanes are blocked and wires are down.
If you cannot stay home, AAA suggests drivers always check weather conditions before heading out. Drivers should always travel with a full tank of gas, a fully charged cell phone and wear a seatbelt.
If traffic signals are not working because a power outage, you must stop at the intersection and then proceed when you know other turning and approaching cars, bikes or pedestrians have stopped. Treat a blacked-out traffic signal as a four-way stop intersection.
If you start to hydroplane AAA says you should:
- Continue to look and steer in the direction in which the driver wants the car to go.
- Avoid slamming on the brakes as this will further upset the vehicle’s balance and make it harder to control.
- If you feel the car begin to skid, continue to look and steer in the direction you want the car to go.
- Don’t panic, and avoid slamming on the brakes to maintain control.
Damages:
A tree fell onto a house near the intersection of Hall Road and Pin Oak Parkway in Bowie, Maryland Friday. We are working to gather more details.
A home off Stedwick Rd was damaged after a tree fell over in Montgomery Village. No injuries were reported.
It is important to know how to prepare and stay safe during severe weather. There are several ways you can make sure you are ready.
- High winds regularly down trees and heavy branches in the DMV region, so avoid standing or walking under tree canopies.
- Be supplied: Have medical equipment, medical supplies or any critical medications on hand and enough for 5-7 days.
- Figure out how and where everyone will meet up with each other if you get separated.
- Sign up for text alerts/weather warnings that may be offered by your locality.
- Secure garbage cans, lawn furniture or anything that could cause damage.
Sandbags are being distributed in Prince George's County. Residents can pick them up at these locations from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday:
North County: Ammendale Facility; 11900 Montgomery Road, Beltsville, MD 20705
Central County: D’Arcy Road Maintenance Facility; 8401 D’Arcy Road, Forestville, MD 20747
South County: 12911 Cherry Tree Crossing Road, Brandywine, MD 20613
