Brief but violent storm causes several power outages in Bethesda

UPDATE 6:46 PM: Eastbound River Road is closed at Springfield Drive in Bethesda. A tree has fallen in the roadway.

A brief storm with intense lightning, strong winds and heavy blasts of hail passed through Bethesda just before 6:00 PM this evening. At this time, there are about 2580 Pepco customers wihout power. The power outages are currently in Westmoreland Hills, Springfield, Burning Tree Estates, Carderock, Chevy Chase, Tilden Woods, and homes near Walt Whitman High School and The Heights school, according to Pepco. It looks like one of the storm cells followed East-West Highway at one point, causing some major outages in that corridor of Chevy Chase and Silver Spring.