Power, Roadways Are Restored as Storm Clears

Strong thunderstorms that moved through the Washington area last night -- knocking down trees and power lines and flooding some roads -- gave way this morning to cooler temperatures and clearing skies that promised lots of sunshine.

The District's Beach Drive NW was closed because of flooding and a mudslide near the National Zoo, from Porter Street south to where the road becomes the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, U.S. Park Police said. The road reopened this afternoon, after officials decided the closing was no longer necessary.

About 4,300 customers in the Metro area were without power as of 5:30 a.m., down from a high of more than 20,000 customers at the storm's peak. There were scattered reports of standing water and downed trees blocking roads.

More than an inch of rain fell in many parts of the region during the storms, the most precipitation recorded in the Washington area in seven weeks, meteorologists said.

Thousands of travelers were stranded at airports after dozens of flights were cancelled.

At Reagan National and Dulles International airports, officials said late yesterday that hundreds of people would probably be forced to stay in terminals overnight. Courtney Prebich, a spokeswoman for the airports authority that runs Dulles and National, said workers were preparing to pass out blankets and keep concessions open.

At Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, more than 50 flights were delayed or canceled because of wind gusts of up to 50 mph and violent thunderstorms, authorities said.

The storms, caused by a slow-moving cold front, triggered downpours from central Virginia to areas northeast of Baltimore, said Calvin Meadows, a National Weather Service forecaster. The front dumped up to two inches of rain near BWI from about 8 to 10 p.m.

Power companies reported that more than 20,000 customers were without service at 11 p.m., including almost 9,000 in Anne Arundel and Howard counties, about 7,500 in the District and Montgomery and Prince George's counties, and 6,500 in Northern Virginia.

Flash-flood warnings were issued until this morning for low-lying and urban areas, officials said.

Downed power lines and damaged trees were particularly widespread in parts of Prince George's County, where officials reported problems with damaged transformers near College Park, Oxon Hill and Bowie.

In Virginia, some lanes of Interstate 66 near Manassas were closed last night because of downed trees.

Temperatures before dawn were in the mid-60s, and were expected to rise into the mid-80s during the day, with lower humidity than earlier in the week.

The mercury and humidity will climb higher tomorrow and into the weekend, with more storms expected Sunday.