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Updated 8:30 a.m. — Dominion Energy's outage map showed 2,206 Alexandria customers without power as of 8:15 a.m., down from 9,127 at 5 a.m. The large outage areas that had covered much of the West End earlier in the morning were no longer showing on the map. Remaining outages are scattered, with the largest clusters around Jefferson Manor, Huntington and Inova Alexandria Hospital.
ALEXANDRIA — Power has returned to most of Alexandria after severe overnight thunderstorms, with about 2,200 Dominion Energy customers still out at 8:15 a.m., down from more than 9,000 at 5 a.m. Roads remained blocked in several places, and the city said repairs to a traffic signal on Seminary Road would continue into the afternoon.
Police said reports of roadway hazards were still coming in as of about 7 a.m. and asked drivers to allow extra time and be ready for changing conditions.
No homes or businesses were damaged, the city said in a separate advisory. City crews were working to clear the affected intersections.
Signals were out at Seminary Road and North Howard Street, North Howard and West Braddock Road, North Van Dorn Street and West Braddock, Van Dorn and King Street, King and South Taylor Street, King and South Wakefield Street, and Seminary and North Quaker Lane, according to police. The city's advisory also listed Seminary Road at Beauregard Street.
Drivers should treat those intersections as four-way stops, police said, coming to a complete stop and proceeding only when it is safe.
Three major obstructions remained. Repairs to the traffic signal on Seminary Road are expected to continue into the afternoon. Electric lines and trees were blocking the roadway at 100 Wesmond Drive, and trees were blocking the southbound Van Dorn Street ramp to Metro Road.
Police also warned drivers not to go around barricades or through blocked roads, and to use caution near downed trees, electrical lines and standing water.
Officers had asked residents around 1 a.m. to avoid unnecessary travel, saying Seminary Road was impassable between Dover Street and North Beauregard Street and that a downed power line had closed North Beauregard at Morgan Street.
Dominion's outage map showed 2,206 Alexandria customers out as of 8:15 a.m., about 3% of the 71,312 the utility serves in the city. The count has fallen steadily through the morning, from 9,127 at 5 a.m., 7,286 at 6:31 a.m. and 5,840 at 7:16 a.m.
The large shaded outage areas that had stretched across the West End earlier in the morning — along North Beauregard Street, near West Braddock Road and Inova Alexandria Hospital, and south toward Janney's Lane — were no longer on the map. For much of the morning, Dominion had listed no cause and no estimated restoration time for the largest of them, with crews awaiting assignment.
Remaining outages were scattered across the city, with the largest clusters near Jefferson Manor and Huntington, around Inova Alexandria Hospital, in Del Ray, along Eisenhower Avenue and near the Old Town waterfront.
The outages are part of a broader Northern Virginia event, and Alexandria is recovering faster than its neighbors. Dominion reported 39,055 customers out across the region at 8:15 a.m., down from 51,104 at 5 a.m. Statewide, the utility counted 40,062 out of 2.8 million customers served, meaning nearly every active Virginia outage remained in Northern Virginia. Arlington was hardest hit, with 14,084 customers out — more than six times Alexandria's total, and a drop of only about 1,340 in the previous hour.
The National Weather Service in Baltimore/Washington issued a flash flood warning covering Alexandria, Arlington and Reagan National Airport from 12:04 a.m. until 3 a.m.
Residents can call 311 to report storm-related issues, or 703-746-4444 to report downed trees. Power outages and downed lines should be reported to Dominion at 1-866-366-4357 or through the utility's outage center online; the city does not control the grid or restoration timing. Officials advise treating all downed lines as dangerous and staying away from them, avoiding flooded or blocked roads, and giving crews room to work.
This story will be updated.
Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria resident and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
