Table of Contents
UPDATE, 10 p.m. — The Severe Thunderstorm Warning that prompted widespread outages across Alexandria expired at 8:30 p.m., and the regional Severe Thunderstorm Watch was set to lapse at 10 p.m. as the line of storms pushed east of the city. But power outages continued to climb even after the storms moved through.
As of Dominion Energy's 9:46 p.m. update, 10,887 Alexandria customers were without power — up from the roughly 9,910 reported an hour earlier — out of about 71,210 served citywide. That means more than one in seven city customers remained in the dark, and the figure was still rising. The outage map did not list estimated restoration times.
Regionally, Dominion reported 54,762 customers out across Northern Virginia, with Fairfax County hardest hit at 23,918. Total customers out across Dominion's service territory reached 56,727.
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Fire Department issued public-safety guidance Thursday evening as crews responded to storm damage. Residents are urged to report fallen trees, debris, downed traffic signals, flooding, and other non-emergency concerns by calling Alex311 at 703-746-4444 or tagging @AlexandriaVA311 on X. For immediate emergencies, call 911.
Officials warned residents to treat downed power lines as live and dangerous: stay at least 30 feet away, and report them to Dominion Energy online or at 866-366-4357. Call 911 if a power line falls on a house or vehicle. The guidance was issued in both English and Spanish.
Attention now turns to Friday, when a Heat Advisory takes effect from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with highs near 95 and heat index values as high as 102 — a concern for any households still awaiting restoration. The National Weather Service says another round of showers and storms, some potentially severe, is possible Friday afternoon and evening.
For city updates, residents can visit alexandriava.gov/Alerts.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A fast-moving line of severe thunderstorms swept into Alexandria Thursday evening, knocking out power to roughly 9,910 Dominion Energy customers in the city and prompting a Severe Thunderstorm Warning that runs until 8:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Sterling issued the warning at 7:54 p.m. for the City of Alexandria and much of the surrounding region, citing a line of storms capable of 60 mph wind gusts. As of 7:53 p.m., forecasters tracked the storms moving east at 45 mph, with emergency management already reporting numerous downed trees along the line. The warning cautioned that damaging winds could topple trees and large branches, block roadways, and trigger localized power outages — a threat that has already materialized across the city.
As of the most recent Dominion Energy update at 8:46 p.m., Alexandria had 9,910 customers without power out of roughly 71,210 served — meaning close to one in seven city customers was in the dark. The outage map showed the heaviest concentrations stretched across the center of the city, with affected zones near Episcopal High School, Inova Alexandria Hospital, and along the N. Quaker Lane and Janney's Lane corridors toward Rosemont, plus pockets reaching into the West End near Landmark and Lincolnia.
Alexandria's outages are part of a much larger regional event. Dominion's Northern Virginia region reported 53,763 customers out of nearly 967,000 without power, with Fairfax County hardest hit at more than 25,000 outages. Across Dominion's full service territory, total customers out approached 55,901.
The storms arrived on an oppressively hot day. A Heat Advisory was in effect through 8 p.m. Thursday, and another is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, when highs near 95 and heat index values as high as 102 are forecast — a difficult combination for any households still waiting on restoration. The Weather Service warned that more showers and storms, some potentially severe, are possible again Friday afternoon and evening.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch covers the area until 10 p.m., and a Special Marine Warning for the tidal Potomac runs until 9 p.m.
What residents should do:
- Report outages to Dominion Energy at 866-366-4357 or online at dominionenergy.com.
- Treat any intersection with a dark traffic signal as a four-way stop.
- Stay away from downed power lines and storm debris, and assume any fallen line is live.
- Move to an interior room on the lowest floor if storms intensify in your area.
This is a developing story. We'll update as conditions and restoration estimates change.
