CHECK THE LOCAL WEATHER FORECAST
Wind gusts from 33 to 46 miles per hour toppled trees, swayed traffic lights and left thousands without power through the area Wednesday.
According to Dominion Virginia Power, nearly 21,000 people in Northern Virginia and up to 1,450 people in Prince William County were without power Wednesday afternoon.
Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative crews worked to restore power to approximately 2,437 customers, including 125 in Prince William County.
“All NOVEC crews are dispatched and working on all outages,” says Larry Shaffer, system operations manager.
Shaffer said NOVEC’s 24-hour crews were monitoring weather forecasts and directing repairmen for outages.
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory until 10 p.m. Wednesday and a red flag warning until 6 p.m. A red flag warning means that conditions are ripe for fires due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures.
On Wednesday morning, a brush fire swept through grass on Fuller Heights Road near Potomac Crest after fallen tree limbs downed a power line, said Prince William County Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Kim Hylander.
The fire was put out by midday as was another fire swept through brush in the Lake Occoquan area of Manassas. According to fire spokesman Randy Earl, the area of the Lake Occoquan fire was roughly three to five acres.
Police and firefighters were busy responding to reports of minor car crashes, trees down across roads and into branches into houses through much of the day.
In Lake Ridge, a large tree crashed into a man’s home, sending a huge branch into one of his bathroom windows. No one was hurt.
People elsewhere in the area weren’t so lucky. In Purcellville, a church pastor was killed Wednesday morning when a tree fell and hit his car, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
In Kensington, Md., a 2-year-old boy was seriously injured by a fallen tree branch Wednesday afternoon. Medics revived the boy, who was in cardiac arrest. He was hospitalized in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, fire authorities there said.
Forecasters said winds would die down overnight, making way for a chilly, but sunny, New Year’s Day.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.
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