Friday, October 18, 2019

High winds topple tree, cause power outage in Westbard area of Bethesda

High winds toppled trees and caused scattered power outages across the D.C. area yesterday. One on Ridgefield Road at Westbard Avenue caused road closures and power outages in that area through this morning. After the tree fell yesterday afternoon, power was knocked out to about 200 Pepco customers, and remains off as of this writing, according to the Pepco Outage Map. It is expected to be restored later this morning.
Pepco was beginning to work when these photos were taken last night. A cherry picker was high above Westbard at a utility pole. Traffic signals were still dark at the intersection where the tree fell. Ridgefield Road was closed between Newington Road and Westbard Avenue, and Westbard was closed between Ridgefield and River Road.
Another outage near Suburban Hospital continues this morning. About five customers are in the dark there. Considering the steady wind gusts over the last 48 hours, the situation could have been much worse. Winds are expected to be less gusty today, but temperatures will drop enough tonight to require a frost warning overnight.
Cherry picker lifts Pepco worker
to top of utility pole on Westbard Avenue


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