High winds bring power outages to Bethesda

High winds with gusts over 20 MPH have been buffeting Bethesda for about 13 hours. While it could be much worse, some residents have lost power over this time as limbs, trees, and power lines are blown down. Around 11:00 PM last night, exploding transformer flashes could be seen in the distance from Bethesda. Afterward, customers in Cabin John and Carderock Springs reported outages.

Right now, there are a handful of outages affecting Pepco customers. One is in a neigbhorhood off River Road just west of the WSSC water filtration plant and the Watts Branch River by the C&O Canal. It occured around 3:56 AM, and Pepco says they hope to have restored power by 7:00 AM. 8:00 AM is the target for the less than 5 customers in the dark near the intersection of Bradley Boulevard and the Capital Beltway.

The biggest outage is in Chevy Chase by Friendship Heights, affecting over 400 customers. It happened around quarter after 5:00 this morning. Pepco is shooting for a 10:00 AM restoration time there. Winds are expected to continue to gust through sundown this evening, reaching a low of 4 MPH around 2:00 AM Tuesday morning.