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Beulah Road closed after crash takes out electric pole near Meadowlark

Beulah Road has been closed near Meadowlark Botanical Gardens for repairs to an electric pole down by a vehicle crash (via Google Maps)

Residents of the Wolf Trap area near Meadowlark Botanical Gardens may want to charge up their phones now before the power goes out sometime today (Monday).

A “large power outage” is expected to be necessary so that Dominion Energy can replace a pole on that was knocked down last night by a vehicle crash on Beulah Road, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

No injuries were reported in the single-vehicle crash, which occurred in the 1600 block of Beulah Road. Police responded to the scene around 10:20 p.m.

While the crash didn’t result in a power outage, work to replace the damaged pole is still underway. Traffic on Beulah Road is being detoured, with the roadway anticipated to remain closed until early in this afternoon’s rush hour, police said.

Map via Google Maps

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JUST IN: Construction workers stranded on Tysons high-rise rescued

Fire and Rescue units assist workers stuck on scaffolding at 1800 Chain Bridge in Tysons (via FCFRD/Twitter)

(Updated at 10:05 a.m. on 2/7/2023) A power outage has left construction workers on a high-rise in Tysons stranded 13 stories in the air.

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue units are on the scene at 1800 Chain Bridge Road in Scotts Run after one worker fell from just above some raised scaffolding.

Responders were able to rescue the worker by pulling him onto a balcony, and he’s now being evaluated by emergency medical personnel.

However, two other workers were left stranded on the scaffolding due to a power outage in the building, according to the department.

Technical rescue crews were ultimately able to assist them. No injuries were reported from the incident.

Heming, the building where the workers got stuck, is 28 stories tall and will have 410 apartment units when completed. It will also feature 38,000 square feet of retail space and a three-floor outdoor plaza. Construction is expected to finish around the middle of this year.

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JUST IN: Truck hits McLean power line, killing man and prompting outage

More than 3,000 customers in McLean are without power after a bucket truck hit a power line on Georgetown Pike (via Dominion Energy)

(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) A bucket truck operator has died after the vehicle hit a power line on Georgetown Pike in McLean, the Fairfax County Police Department says.

The collision near Langley Fork Lane was reported to police just before 1 p.m. NBC4 reported that a police helicopter was called in to evacuate an injured person, but the FCPD says the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Georgetown Pike has been closed between Langley Fork and Colonial Farm Road, as police detectives respond to investigate.

Over 3,000 Dominion Energy customers in the area are currently without electricity, according to the utility’s outage map.

The site attributes two outages affecting a combined 3,166 customers to emergency work. As of 2:20 p.m., the estimated time of restoration is between 4 and 7 p.m.

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Great Falls hit with power outage, hours-long road closure after storm

About 279 people in Great Falls have lost power after a storm on Aug. 30, 2022 (via Dominion Energy)

More than 200 people in Great Falls have lost power, and a key road may be closed for hours after a rain storm this afternoon (Tuesday).

According to Fairfax Alerts, Beach Mill Road will be closed to traffic in both directions for at least six hours at the Springvale Road intersection due to downed power lines.

Dominion Energy has 279 customers in the area without power, according to its outage map.

The outage has been attributed to a broken pole, and crews are currently on the scene assessing the damage, though as of 6:30 p.m., there is no estimated time of restoration yet.

The storm otherwise appears to have had minimal impact in Fairfax County. Dulles International Airport reported 56 mph wind gusts, but less than a half-inch of rain was recorded in most areas, the Capital Weather Gang reported.

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Flash Flood Warning in for Fairfax County, as storm takes out power

A power outage is affecting Pimmit Hills on Aug. 10, 2022 (via Dominion Energy)

An ongoing thunderstorm has taken out power for hundreds of Fairfax County residents, as the threat of flash flooding looms.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for the D.C. region that is set to remain in effect until 8 p.m.

According to the alert, between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain have fallen so far, and an additional 1 to 2 inches are possible. Areas of concern include Reston, Centreville, Annandale, Vienna, Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Chantilly, and Fairfax Station.

More than a thousand Dominion Energy customers have been affected by power outages since rain arrived in the area this afternoon, according to the utility company’s outage map.

The largest impact appears to be in Pimmit Hills, where 647 customers are without power. An outage affecting 328 people near Eagle View Elementary School in the Fairfax area is expected to be addressed between 6 and 11 p.m.

In the Herndon area, an outage at the Herndon Parkway and Sterling Road intersection has affected 221 customers. Dominion estimates that power will be restored there between 7 p.m. and midnight.

Herndon Parkway has been closed in both directions at Palmer Drive after an accident, according to the Town of Herndon Police Department. Power lines are down there.

The full Flash Flood Warning from the NWS is below: Read More

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JUST IN: Tens of thousands in Fairfax County lose power after storm

More than 4,000 people lost power in the Great Falls/Wolf Trap area after a July 12 storm (via Dominion Energy)

(Updated at 7:45 p.m.) More than 16,000 people in Fairfax County are currently without power after a rainstorm with high winds passed through the D.C. area earlier this evening (Tuesday).

As of 7 p.m., a total of 16,255 electricity users in the county had lost power, including 15,480 Dominion Energy customers, according to PowerOutage.US.

Dominion’s outage map indicates that the Great Falls and Wolf Trap area experienced the most extensive power losses, with roughly 4,246 customers affected. Other hard-hit areas include Tysons, Springfield, and Fair Lakes.

The estimated times of restoration suggest that the utility company will be working to address the outages throughout the night and into tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for southern Fairfax County until 8:30 p.m., forecasting 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-sized hail. According to an initial report, wind gusts from an earlier storm reached up to 70 mph in Centreville.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 10 p.m., and a Flood Watch is out for the D.C. area until midnight.

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UPDATED: Over 700 Fairfax County residents without power after storm

A power outage along Stuart Mill Road in Oakton (via Dominion Energy)

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) While the weather has died down for now, almost 800 people in Fairfax County lost electricity when a thunderstorm passed through the D.C. region this morning, bringing flood and tornado risks.

Dominion Energy has 761 customers currently without power, as of 3:20 p.m., according to PowerOutage.US.

The biggest outage is in Chantilly between Lees Corner and Stringfellow roads, near the regional library, Dominion’s power outage map shows. The utility company has dispatched a crew to investigate the cause of the power loss, which has affected 272 customers.

Another 227 customers have been impacted by an outage along Stuart Mill Road in the Little Difficult Run area of Oakton, which has also seen smaller outages along Bennett Road. There are downed wires there, Dominion spokesperson Peggy Fox said.

There is also a larger power outage in Mantua affecting 186 customers. Among them appears to be Mantua Elementary School. Like in Oakton, a crew has been dispatched, but there’s no estimated time of restoration yet.

A Flood Watch remains in effect for the county, with more showers and thunderstorms potentially emerging later this afternoon and evening.

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Power outages still scattered across Fairfax County after Sunday storm

A broken pole took out power for 271 Dominion Energy customers in the Fairfax area (via Dominion Energy)

More than 2,000 people in Fairfax County are without electricity after bursts of rain and hail swept through the D.C. area last night (Sunday).

Dominion Energy has reported outages affecting 2,636 customers, as of 9:50 a.m., according to PowerOutage.US.

According to the utility company’s outage map, the damage is widespread across the eastern half of the county, from Wolf Trap in the north to Newington in the south, but the individual outages are mostly limited in their impact.

The largest outage is in the Kings Park West area, just south of Braddock Road and north of Guinea Road. Crews are currently working to address a broken pole that took out power for 271 customers. The estimated time of restoration is 6-11 p.m.

Dominion Energy spokesperson Peggy Fox reported earlier this morning (Monday) that 60 mph winds knocked down trees, branches, and utility poles across Northern Virginia, where the company is working on 92 projects.

Neighboring residents in Arlington and Alexandria are also still dealing with the storm’s aftermath

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Power issues linger for some after thunderstorm, hail

A Virginia Department of Transportation truck in Groveton after a May 16, 2022, storm (staff photo by Brandi Bottalico)

(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) Hundreds of people in Fairfax County are still without power after a thunderstorm swept through the D.C. area late yesterday afternoon (Monday).

Outages have been significantly reduced overnight, with the number of people affected dropping from more than 8,000 to about 500, as of 9:30 a.m., according to PowerOutage.US.

In terms of power losses, the storm primarily affected the south part of the county. Dominion Energy’s outage map indicates that 329 customers in West Springfield and over 50 customers in Hybla Valley, Mount Vernon, and Mason Neck are still waiting for their electricity to return.

Likely the result of fallen trees and branches on power lines, the individual outages appear to be limited in scope, each affecting only a few properties. The estimated time of restoration ranges from 1 to 7 p.m. today (Tuesday).

Yesterday’s storm brought 0.42 inches of precipitation to the Dulles Airport area and 0.27 inches to the National side of the region, according to preliminary climate reports from the National Weather Service.

However, the storm also had an unusual twist in the form of hail. Stones about the size of a quarter were spotted throughout the southeastern part of the county, including Franconia, Rose Hill, Fort Hunt, and Mount Vernon.

Maryland residents reported even larger hailstones.

According to the National Weather Service in Sterling, some hail is not especially unusual for this time of the year, but hail of the size seen yesterday is more rare.

“This is the time of year when we start to really warm up consistently. The caveat is that the atmosphere many thousand feet up is still cold as it takes more time to warm up further up at this point,” NWS meterologist Austin Mansfield said by email. “With lower freezing levels (0°C of the air temperature) in the atmosphere during this time of year but warmer and more unstable air masses looming, we can certainly see hail during this time of year.”

The NWS only tracks hail that’s 0.75 inches or larger in its archives. The last time the agency reported large hail in Fairfax County in May was on May 14, 2018, when it recorded hail with a 1.75-inch diameter, or roughly the size of a golf ball.

“Take that with a grain of salt because we are almost certain that hail has fallen in Fairfax County in the middle of May since then but it was more than likely smaller size (dime/nickel/pea),” Mansfield said.

Other scenes from the storm included fallen branches, waterborne trash cans, and post-rain goslings in Reston.

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UPDATED: Thousands without power in Hybla Valley after storm

Power outages following Monday’s thunderstorm are concentrated along the Route 1 corridor (via Dominion Energy)

(Updated at 6:30 p.m.) The thunderstorm has passed, but it has left some destruction in its wake, taking out electricity for more than 8,000 people in Fairfax County.

According to PowerOutage.US, there are currently 8,707 customers without power in the county.

The worst damage is in the Groveton and Hybla Valley area along Route 1, where around 5,835 Dominion Energy customers are currently without power, according to the utility company’s outage map.

Outages have also affected over 500 customers in Springfield.

The outages come after a thunderstorm hit the D.C. area earlier this afternoon (Monday), prompting reports of quarter-sized hail.

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Fairfax County until 4:45 p.m.:

HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by
downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.

* Locations impacted include… Arlington, Alexandria, Centreville, Waldorf, Dale City, Annandale, Clinton, Springfield, Fort Washington, Fairfax, Fort Hunt, Vienna, Groveton, Falls Church, Huntington, Coral Hills, Mantua, Fort Belvoir, Woodbridge and National Harbor.

NWS urges residents to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was also issued for the county. It was expected to last until 9 p.m., but got canceled shortly before 5:30 p.m. after the storm moved on.

Angela Woolsey contributed to this report.

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