Stiff winds cut power, fuel fire danger
Northwest winds have been gusting to more than 50 mph at BWI-Marshall this morning as that intense low pressure system pulls away toward the Canadian maritime provinces. BGE has reported more than 25,000 customers lost power today as the winds pulled down tree limbs and utility lines. More than half of those outages have already been repaired.
The winds have also contributed to traffic light outages and the partial collapse of a vacant rowhome in Baltimore. Read more here.
The high winds, coupled with low humidities have raised fire hazards across much of the state. Red Flag Warnings are posted across Central and Southern Maryland Maryland:
"A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL."
While these winds have topped 50 mph in several locations across Maryland, there are reports of gusts in excess of 70 mph in West Virginia. They reached 19 mph at The Sun. Gale warnings and storm warnings are up over the northern Chesapeake bay and Maryland's offshore waters.
I spent part of the night listening to the wind howling, and wondering whether the three bags of paper recycling I put on the curb last night would have blown off and papered the neighborhood by daybreak. No one else had put anything out for pickup this morning, and I began worrying that they had seen the windy forecast and decided, prudently, to wait until morning to take out the recycling. I could see the headline in the community newsletter: "Weather guy ignores own forecast, plasters neighborhood with newspapers." I imagined myself spending the morning collecting my own windblown trash.
Fortunately, the bags appear to have held together. Whew! Anybody else have wind stories today?
Jim Studnicki sent in this message, and a photo of the doomed poplar hanging over his house:
"Hi Frank: Out here in Towson off Providence Road, we’ve had a large tulip poplar fall and get caught by another one about 80’ off the ground and about 15’ from the corner of our house! We’re hoping it stays up until our “tree guy” can come out later this afternoon to size up the situation. -- Jim"
Comments
I put a bag of trash out on the sidewalk last night for pickup, and when I went out to my car this morning it had blown about 10 feet away. I would guess that it weighed about 20 pounds.
Also, watch your car doors out there! When I got out of my car at work, I had to hold it from blowing open and putting a dent in a nice car parked next to me.
Posted by: Sam | February 12, 2009 10:07 AM
Just got back from a lunchtime errand on the scoot' -- the wind had me sailing all over the road. Has anyone ever noticed that wind seems to make the crows happy? I swear they were laughing as they blew past with all the old oak leaves.
Posted by: Sarh | February 12, 2009 1:02 PM
Someone at work is saying a family member said that a tree fell and crushed 5 vehicles at a school in Reisterstown/Pikesville.
FR: School Dept. tells me it was the Chatsworth School in Reisterstown. Principal Nancy Casalena says eight cars belonging to teachers, parents and volunteers in the building were damaged by a "rather large tree" that fell around noon. Five are not drivable. No one was injured. Another car, parked at the adjacent Bransfield Motors, also was damaged. "people were in really good spirits, considering," she said. "They seemed to realize it wasn't anyone's fault. Just an act of Nature. We're very grateful nobody was injured."
Posted by: Jenny | February 12, 2009 2:24 PM