A tornado was reported in central Montgomery County amid fast-moving storms that buffeted the D.C. area Thursday with rain and wind, National Weather Service officials said.
Maryland utility companies reported thousands of power outages Thursday morning after a wave of overnight storms and braced for more to come as a second set of severe storms bears down on the D.C. area.
The Midwest may have dodged the derecho, but the East Coast may not be so lucky.
A fast-moving storm system that affected much of the eastern United States buffeted the D.C. area with rain and wind Thursday, leaving behind downed trees, thousands of power outages and unofficial reports of at least three tornadoes touching down in Maryland.
A storm Thursday that made its way to the D.C. area from the Midwest did not swell to a derecho, and a severe storm watch for the morning was canceled. But the system was expected to redevelop and pelt the region more heavily into the evening, National Weather Service forecasters said.
State and federal agencies in the D.C. area began taking precautions early Thursday for the massive storm front barreling across the Midwest, which was leaving power outages, flooding and fallen trees in its wake.
Forecasters issued a severe thunderstorm watch on the D.C. area through 7 p.m., with residents warned to brace for power outages and dangerous conditions from a system heading for the mid-Atlantic region.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans a $19.5 billion outlay in his final six months in office to ensure the city never again has to suffer the devastating effects of a major hurricane.
Massive storms sweeping in from the Midwest that could affect more than 1 in 5 Americans were expected to bring heavy wind and thunder to the D.C. area Thursday, National Weather Service officials said.
