Nor'easter impacts minimal so far in Bethesda, primarily power outages

A powerful Nor'easter that is smashing states north of here has had only mild impacts on Bethesda so far. Roads never did get much of a coating, as pavement and even many sidewalks appeared to retain heat from the temperate and sunny weather prior to the storm. Safety concerns on roads around town are limited to the slickness of water, and the occasional slush patch. The storm has proved stubborn in continuing to generate snow flurries all morning, even if they failed to stick on the streets. 

There could be danger in the hours ahead and overnight. Winds are forecast to pick up through the afternoon. Combined with heavy snow on limbs, this could lead to fallen trees and power lines. With temperatures dropping, and a low of 25° expected over the night, anything not melted - as well as the water from what has melted - will present a road hazard through Tuesday morning.

Power outages are scattered across Bethesda. Two significant outages in the Bannockburn area, and in the area of the Josiah Henson Parkway, have persisted into this morning from over the night. Now there are additional outages in the vicinity of Somerset, at four locations along Bradley Boulevard between Goldsboro Road and the Capital Beltway, in Chevy Chase near Meadowbrook Local Park, along Sangamore Road near the intelligence campus, in the Glen Echo Heights/Mohican Hills area, near Fenway Road, and near the intersection of River Road and Western Avenue.

Power outage in downtown Bethesda

Hundreds of Pepco customers are without power in downtown Bethesda after an apparent transformer explosion in the Woodmont Triangle area overnight. Residents report hearing multiple explosions around 3:15 AM this morning. Pepco crews have been working in the area all morning. The utility hopes to have power restored by 2:00 PM. Frequent transformer explosions and outages downtown continue to highlight the question of whether Montgomery County's adequate infrastructure laws regarding growth are, well, adequate. The empirical evidence would suggest not.

Power outage impacts CVS Pharmacy in downtown Bethesda

UPDATE - 11:02 AM: Pepco has restored partial power to the affected area; less than 5 customers are still without power. The utility has revised its restoration time to 7:00 PM for those customers. There is now a new outage in the area of St. Elmo Avenue. Pepco's response there is "pending," according to the utility's website.

UPDATE - 2:02 PM: CVS Pharmacy has reopened.

A Pepco crew has been on the scene at CVS Pharmacy at 7809 Wisconsin Avenue since late Monday night. The utility's website states that a transformer failure in the vicinity is currently believed to be the cause of a power outage there, with less than ten customers affected in total. One of those customers is the CVS Pharmacy, which is usually open 24 hours, but was closed last night. The store's lighted signage was flashing on and off, as were the interior lights. Pepco is hoping to have power restored between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM this morning. 

Pepco trucks outside of CVS Pharmacy
early this morning

Westbard Pepco electrical grid woes took another embarrassing turn pre-storm Sunday

A three-and-a-half hour power outage in the Westbard area of Bethesda Sunday once again put the weakness of Pepco's grid in that area under scrutiny. Power went out to more than 300 customers of the utility at 3:36 PM yesterday. There was no inclement weather in the area at the time. Power was restored around 7:00 PM. 

It had been known for several days in advance that severe weather would strike on Sunday, yet it appeared that no additional crews had been called in to assist, as it took several hours for one to be assigned to the Westbard outage. At least 37 people were killed by the same storm system in other states, underlining the real potential for disaster here. 

The Westbard area has experienced repeated brownouts and short power outages since 2017, which have posed a major threat to appliances and devices plugged in or operating during the incidents. It is unclear if the reliability issues are related to the redevelopment construction work taking place on Westbard Avenue and Ridgefield Road, Maryland's severely-reduced electric generation capacity after leaders forced the closure of 8 power plants, or Pepco equipment failures.

Westbard electrical grid fails again in Bethesda

The ongoing problems with Pepco's electrical grid in the Westbard area of Bethesda reared their ugly head again early yesterday afternoon. Customers in the Springfield neighborhood reported experiencing a brownout Thursday, February 20, 2025, between 1:24 and 1:26 PM. A second brownout occurred at 2:21 PM, and lasted about 90 seconds. As of 2:58 PM Thursday, about 50 Pepco customers in the Westbard area were experiencing a power outage that the utility estimated would take two to three hours to restore.

There was no severe weather in the area at the time of the power outages. One reader reported seeing Pepco crews working on power lines along River Road and Willard Avenue at the time. Such outages and brownouts can cause severe or fatal damage to appliances and devices that are plugged in during the sudden power cut-off and surge of restoration. 

If you were affected by the brownouts, make a record of it, and of any subsequent failure of appliances in your home, so you can seek reimbursement for damages caused by the faulty grid - not an "act of God." It remains unclear if the repeated brownouts since 2017 are related to the major redevelopment and construction along Westbard Avenue and the since-renamed block of Ridgefield Road, which began at that time. What is clear, is that there are issues with the grid in the Westbard area, as all of the incidents have occurred when there was no severe weather at the time of the brownouts or outages.

Transformer explosion knocked out power to several businesses in Bethesda (Photos)

A transformer exploded in the Woodmont Triangle area of Bethesda early last evening, knocking out power to several businesses, among other Pepco customers. Residents in the area reported hearing a loud explosion shortly after 6:00 PM Thursday. Among the businesses that went dark following the explosion were 7-Eleven at 7820 Wisconsin Avenue, the CVS Pharmacy across the street, Z-Burger, Tastee Diner, Starbucks (which is currently closed for remodeling), and Dog Haus Biergarten. The traffic signal at the intersection of Woodmont and Norfolk Avenues also went out.

Pepco restored power to CVS Pharmacy and 7-Eleven by late evening. Montgomery County police directed traffic at the dark intersection. Power was restored to the rest of the affected customers by this morning. 

Westbard Pepco grid fails briefly ahead of high winds today in Bethesda

A wind advisory will be in effect today in Bethesda from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with gusts forecast by the National Weather Service to be up to 55 MPH, and isolated power outages expected around the Washington, D.C. region due to wind and falling trees. But the Pepco electric grid in the Westbard area already had a brief failure this morning, before the high winds had even arrived. Residents report that a power outage of several minutes occurred around 12:50 AM. There was no inclement weather in the area at the time. The electric grid in the Westbard area has had a significant number of outages, and appliance-damaging brownouts, since redevelopment work began on the commercial properties along Westbard Avenue and Ridgefield Road in 2017. Once again, concerns expressed by residents during the Westbard sector plan meetings - impact on utility infrastructure capacity, in this case - have proven to be prescient.

Last night, a Pepco crew was working on a significant project in the Woodmont Triangle ahead of today's cold front. Del Ray Avenue was blocked in both directions, where a large amount of utility equipment and vehicles had been brought in to work overnight.

Bethesda residents wonder when Montgomery County Council will act on failing Westbard infrastructure

Infrastructure Week? The Westbard area of Bethesda needs Infrastructure Month. Residents were reminded of that yet again last night, during the latest complete power failure. Meteorologists raved all day on TV and radio about just how perfect the weather was Tuesday. But at 7:29 PM, residents in the Springfield neighborhood report, there was a total power outage. Homes were dark for a total of three minutes before power was restored at 7:32 PM, potentially damaging household appliances and devices that were plugged in to charge or operate at that time.

The blackout follows two weeks of lengthy Xfinity service outages in the same area of Bethesda. Neither Pepco nor Comcast has publicly announced the cause of the service interruptions. The Westbard area has experienced power outages and brownouts since 2018, when redevelopment of the area got underway. Whether the Pepco and Comcast grids are failing due to age, construction on Westbard Avenue, or the increased demand to power the new development at Westbard is unclear as long as Montgomery County and the utilities maintain silence on the issue.

Montgomery County elected officials, who approved the growth in the 2016 Westbard sector plan, have been sound asleep at the switch throughout the outages. They've continuously failed to step up to the plate to represent their constituents, while collecting ever-rising six-figure salaries on the County Council. 

Yet another Pepco brownout in Westbard area of Bethesda

Some Westbard-area residents briefly lost power once again, in the latest Pepco brownout in that area of Bethesda since 2017. Residents reported a power loss of about 7 seconds early Thursday evening, October 19, 2023 at 6:21 PM. The last incident was a full power outage October 2, 2023 at 1:50 AM, only 17 days earlier. 

There was no inclement weather during either incident. If you were among the customers affected, make sure to make a note of the brownout in your records. Should your appliances or devices that were plugged in fail, Pepco is responsible for the damage.

Pepco power grid woes continue in Westbard area of Bethesda

Pepco's power grid failed again in the Westbard area of Bethesda early this morning. At 1:50 AM Monday, October 2, 2023, customers of the Exelon-owned electric utility lost power for about 40 seconds, residents report. There were no storms or notable winds in the area at the time of the outage. This was the latest in a series of blackouts and brownouts in the Westbard area over the last several years, none of which have been weather-related. The ongoing problems raise questions as to the ability of Pepco's system to absorb any additional service load in that area, which will add hundreds of new housing units along Westbard Avenue over the next two years.

Massive power outage across Montgomery County

UPDATE - 12:48 AM, November 28: Both occupants of the plane have been successfully rescued, and are on the ground, Montgomery County Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard said. They are being transported to local hospitals with serious injuries, Fire Chief Goldstein announced, a change from earlier announcements that there were no injuries. 

UPDATE - 12:25 AM, November 28: Pepco reports tremendous progress in power restoration, with only 1,297 customers remaining without power at this moment. Utility workers are using a bucket truck to ground the Pepco tower and transmission lines so that the rescue effort can finally get underway sometime this morning.

UPDATE - 11:50 PM: Pepco claims to have restored power to over 60% of customers affected by the power outage over the last hour. It reports there are now 34,688 customers still without electricity.

UPDATE - 11:30 PM: Montgomery County Public Schools will be closed Monday, November 28, 2022, due to the power outage. MCPS offices will also be closed Monday.

UPDATE - 10:01 PM: Maryland State police have identified the pilot of the plane as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C., and the passenger as Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana. Both are still on-board awaiting rescue, and are reportedly not injured.  Their aircraft is a Mooney Mike 20P single engine plane. Pepco reports more customers are without power than ever tonight, with 113,081 now in the dark at this hour. Montgomery County Public Schools says it will make an announcement about potential school closures later tonight.

UPDATE - 9:05 PM: Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein reports that Pepco crews have to manually climb up to ensure the tower is grounded. The plane must then be secured to the tower. A large crane from Digging and Rigging in Clarksburg has been brought in. Additional personnel resources are due to arrive on-scene at 9:30 PM. "One of our concerns is the safety of the occupants in the airplane, the safety of our fire and rescue personnel," Goldstein said. Goldstein confirmed there are two occupants in the plane. "I have no information, I'm not here to talk about power outages," he said. 

UPDATE - 8:34 PM: Occupants of the plane that crashed into the Pepco tower have not yet been rescued. The number of Pepco customers without power in Montgomery County has dropped from 80,922 to 75,672.

UPDATE - 6:03 PM: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Pete Piringer reports that the power outage has been caused by a plane crash in the Montgomery Village/Gaithersburg area. The plane is stuck in a Pepco tower and power lines, Piringer said. Passengers on board are so far reported to be uninjured.

Pepco customers across Montgomery County are in the dark, after what appears to be a massive system failure. 78,944 customers are currently without power, according to the utility's outage map. In fact, over 20,000 more customers lost power just since I began typing this article. There is no violent weather in the area. 

Virtually all of the outages are in the central and eastern part of the county, but residents in several areas of Bethesda report that their lights flashed multiple times, power fluctuations that can damage appliances and devices. Few of the outages are west of I-270, in Rockville and Germantown. Some of the biggest outages are in Derwood, Aspen Hill, Olney and Wheaton. There are currently a couple of smaller outages in Bethesda - one in the Woodmont Triangle area, and another near the D.C.-Maryland border.

The outage follows a Thanksgiving on which power outages also occurred across the D.C. area. Stay tuned for further updates on the cause of the power outages.

High winds causing power outages in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Bethesda, Potomac

Gusty winds are bringing down trees and power lines, and causing power outages this morning in Montgomery County. There are currently three outages in the Westbard area, with a crew assigned to the largest of the three, which impacts 43 Pepco customers. 

Small outages currently affect about 5 customers each in the Chevy Chase/Martin's Additions area, the area between Tilden Lane and Montrose Parkway, the area near the Target on Bou Avenue, an area south of Bells Mill Road off of Gainsborough Road, customers along Falls Road near Potomac Village and the Bullis School, and East Rockville just east of the CSX/Metro tracks.

Major outages are found further north along I-270. 710 customers are in the dark along the Watkins Mill Road corridor between MD 355 and Montgomery Village. 98 customers are impacted by an outage between Scenery Drive and Middlebrook Road east of MD 355 in Germantown. A small outage near Kingsview Middle School in Germantown currently affects 5 customers.

Expect more outages, with wind gusts between 20 and 50 MPH until late morning. Watch for downed trees, falling limbs and live power lines they may hit and displace. Bring in all unsecured objects that might blow away from yards or balconies.

Fallen tree causes power outage in Bethesda

A tree has fallen at the intersection of Goldsboro Road and Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda. Several utility poles were damaged, Power is out to about 142 customers in the area, according to Pepco. The utility says it expects to restore power around 9:00 this morning. Traffic impacts are complicated by Montgomery County's decision to close Little Falls Parkway on weekends, which would be the most direct alternate route; using Ridgefield Road and Westbard Avenue to reach Massachusetts Avenue is the best alternative available.

Late night storm causes power outage in Bethesda

A late night storm pelted Bethesda with hail, rain and gusty winds around 11:20 PM Wednesday night. Pepco reports two power outages in Montgomery County; one is in the Cabin John area south of River Road in Bethesda. About seven customers are affected. Pepco predicts a 2:00 AM Thursday restoration time. The other outage is in the Clarksburg area. Further outages and tree damage are possible overnight, as the winds are continuing even after the storm has passed.

Bethesda gets the worst of high winds for Thanksgiving

Bethesda is the hardest-hit area in Montgomery County so far this morning, after high winds gusting up to 50 MPH passed through overnight, and continue today. Trees fell on Burdette Road and Redwood Avenue, causing power outages and a transformer fire, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Pete Piringer.

Pepco reports there are currently four power outages in Bethesda. 161 customers are without power at this hour. The utility hopes to have those customers back online by noon, enough time to cook Thanksgiving dinner, possible with replacement turkeys and other ingredients (many grocery stores will be open this afternoon).

Ridgefield Road closure causing major backups on Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda

Ridgefield Road is still closed at River Road and Westbard Avenue in Bethesda, and the loss of that major cut-through for commuters has caused significant traffic jams on Little Falls Parkway. Pepco is working to restore power after a tree fell yesterday near the intersection of Ridgefield and Westbard. Westbard Avenue is closed near Westwood Tower if you are approaching from Massachusetts Avenue; the Westwood Shopping Center can still be accessed from the driveway on the Rite Aid side of the property.

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

Hailstorm hits Bethesda, causes power outages, trees to fall

A hailstorm that hit Bethesda around 5:20 PM this afternoon has knocked out power in several neighborhoods, and knocked down some trees. Several residents have reported trees down in the Westgate, Glen Cove, Crestview and Brookdale subdivisions.

One tree was reported down on Rodman Road near Jamestown Road in the Westgate area of Bethesda; others closer to Western Avenue. A transformer fire was reported a few blocks away from there on Crescent Street by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Pete Piringer. About 30 customers are without power there and in nearby Brookdale, according to Pepco.

The Western Avenue corridor and neighborhoods near the Potomac River appear to have been the hardest hit. Less than 5 customers are currently without power in Cabin John, and several hundred are in the dark between Bradley Boulevard and Democracy Boulevard.

Heavy rain knocked out power to some Bethesda businesses last night

The Safeway store at 5000 Bradley Boulevard and the Bradley Shopping Center were among the Pepco customers who lost power last night. A heavy rain for some reason resulted in power outage. The rest of downtown Bethesda away from this intersection appeared unaffected by the storm.

Power outage impacts Westbard Giant in Bethesda (Video & Photos)

A power outage in the Westbard area after 8:00 PM last night affected the Giant store in the Westwood Shopping Center. Signs outside and some lighting fixtures flickered, and the store's alarm system beeped, as employees placed plastic covers over refrigerated dairy and produce products. Contents of the meat cases were removed, apparently moved into the back of the store.

Pepco currently still shows an outage on Westbard Avenue on its outage map, and claims it will be fixed by 10:00 AM - an extraordinarily long response time, given that there aren't any other outages at the moment. The store was still open despite the outage, and self-checkout machines were operational.