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.
