By Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 27, 2008

A week that began with tornadoes in the Washington region ended last night with thunderstorms, downpours and flashes of lightning. Power was cut off to hundreds of homes, from Baltimore to Fairfax County.

In addition to the three tornadoes that were reported in Maryland and Virginia earlier in the week, at least three more ripped across parts of Virginia near Richmond on Sunday, according to National Weather Service reports.

Of the three reported previously, one was in Charles County, another in Prince George's County and the third in Frederick County, Va., about 65 miles from Washington.

The others touched down in New Kent, Hanover, Caroline and King William counties in Virginia, according to the weather service. Five tornado touchdowns were reported in the four counties. One might have touched down two or three times in 12 minutes.

The weather service said the twisters appeared to be minimal in impact and were rated at the lowest rung of the expanded Fujita scale, and no injuries were reported.

Winds were estimated in the 70 to 85 mph range.

Two barns were destroyed, and one was shifted from its foundation. Other buildings were damaged and trees were blown down.

Yesterday thunderstorms moved across the region from the west during a sultry 80-degree afternoon. The week's rain total at Dulles International Airport rose to 4.05 inches. More rain is expected Monday.

Late last night, about 1500 homes and businesses in Prince George's were without electricity, according to the Potomac Electric Power Co., and more than 1,000 were dark in Baltimore. About 500 in Northern Virginia also reported outages.