Update: Hundreds of Thousands without Power, Air Conditioning

Update 10 p.m.

The number of homes in Northern Virginia without power Saturday night is still immense after Friday night's "derecho" storm, but the number is shrinking. As of 10 p.m., there were 345,630 Dominion Power customers without power in Northern Virginia.

Burke Centre Library will be open Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. for residents seeking relief from the heat. Regional libraries with power will also be open. Please call ahead if possible. Library locations and contact information.

Due to ongoing power outages, all indoor activities at Fairfax County Public Schools are canceled for Sunday. Outdoor activities may continue as scheduled.

Get statewide road updates from VDOT: Online, Twitter, Facebook or call 800-FOR-ROAD.

Update 6:45 p.m.

As of about 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, 378,755 customers of Dominion Power were without power in the aftermath of a powerful storm that swept through the area Friday night.

Dominion Virginia Power personnel will be working around the clock until all customers are restored, according to a release from the company. Storm restoration information is available online at https://www.dom.com/storm-center/index.jsp

Many local businesses—including grocery stores, gas stations and shopping centers are closed. Local hotels are filling up with residents without power. Many traffic lights are still out, with drivers using four-way stops.

Local weather forecasts are calling for strong to severe storms later Saturday. A storm system has developed southwest of the D.C. area, that should stay south of the metro area as it tracks east through Fredericksburg and beyond over the next one to two hours, according to the Capital Weather Gang.

Update 4 p.m.

As of 4 p.m., the number of people without power across Northern Virginia had dropped below 400,000.

Because of the widespread nature of this storm, utility crews from as far away as Texas are enroute to the mid-Atlantic. Governor McDonnell said earlier today this is the biggest non-hurricane power outage in the state's history. 

Photo galleries from Patch editors and our readers, of damage around Northern Virginia:

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Update 3 p.m.

As of 3 p.m., Dominion Virginia Power reported 403,530 customers without power in Northern Virginia.

The temperature at 3 p.m. in Northern Virginia is 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service and the entire area is under a heat warning or a heat avdvisory. (See tips on staying cool and keeping your pets cool toward the bottom of this article.)

Many hotels in the area are booked up already, with some offering discounts to storm victims and some relaxing rules about pets. Grocery and convenience stores are reporting shortages of ice.

For information on what cooling centers are open in your area, dial 211. 

911 service is partially restored in pockets throughout the state, but not everywhere. This has to do, at least in part, with wide telecommunications failures across Northern Virginia.

The that are trying to restore service to customers. 

Update 11:45 a.m.

As of 11:43 a.m., Dominion Virginia Power reported still nearly 430,000 customers without power on what could be one of the hottest days this year. Dominion is continuing to ask customers to call by calling 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357), or by visiting the Dominion Storm Center, even if you think your neighbor has already reported it.

Other power providers, including NOVEC and Pepco, are also reporting widespread outages. 

Many mobile customers of Verizon, AT&T and other major cellular providers are reporting difficulty accessing the Internet, email and making phone calls this morning.

The Fairfax County emergency blog is reporting the county's 911 call center is down. Some areas of Prince William County are also experiencing intermittent difficulties.

An increasing area of concern for emergency officials is the rapidly rising temperature. They are asking residents to check on elderly neighbors and try to stay cool by going to places that do have power and air conditioning — check your local movie theater, mall or library.

Update 11:20 a.m.

Merni Fitzgerald, the director of public affairs for Fairfax County, said the county has activated its emergency operations center and will be posting a comprehensive list of resources for local residents on its emergency blog shortly.

Residents can elect to receive email notifications whenever the blog is updated. 

Update: 10:45 a.m.

Throughout Northern Virginia, that number is 437,102. Nearly a quarter of a million customers in Fairfax County are without power—or air conditioning—this morning.

Dominion is reporting 235,164 out of its nearly 400,000 Fairfax customers are currently offline.

Fairfax County Police officers and other jurisdictions are assessing the extent of storm damage. Be sure to check back with Patch.

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Original Story - 8 a.m. Saturday

Two Killed Friday in 'Derecho' Storm in Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia woke up to power outages and scattered tree limbs and debris in roads after a powerful storm hit the area Friday night, killing two people in its wake after a day of record heat.

Khiet Nguyen, 27, of Burke died at about 11 p.m. after a tree hit his 1998 Mercury while he was driving west on Old Keene Mill Drive near Bauer Drive, according to Fairfax County Police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 90-year-old woman died in Springfield when a tree fell on her home as she was lying in bed, according to FCPD. Another occupant of the home called 911 but was unable to reach the victim.

Police, fire and rescue units responded to the home in the 8100 block of Carr Street Friday just before 11 p.m. A construction crane and specialized tree removal equipment have been brought to the scene and the operation is ongoing.

The victim’s name will be released when next of kin has been notified.

Verizon and AT&T customers have reported being without cell and home phoen service Saturday.

"The severe storms that hit the Washington metropolitan area Friday night – and the resulting power outages that have affected much of the region – have also affected services for some Verizon customers," said Harry J. Mitchell with Verizon Communications. "Our operations teams currently are assessing the impact and are working to restore service as quickly as possible." 

Patch is waiting on information from AT&T regarding outages.  

The high temperature today will reach 99 with a heat index of 105 — a potentially dangerous situation for the thousands who are without power (and therefore air conditioning) today. There is a chance for thunderstorms this afternoon, but they are not expected to be nearly as severe as they were last night. Temperatures will cool into the upper 70s tonight. 

According to some local meterologists, Friday night's storm may have been a "derecho."

A derecho is "widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to that of tornadoes, the damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight swath. As a result, the term 'straight-line wind damage" sometimes is used to describe derecho damage,'" according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

As of 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, the number out of power in the Northern Virginia area was about 450,000 according to Dominion Power spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson, who was on her way back into the office at about 7:45 a.m. Saturday after a long night updating the media.

"It's way too soon to say when power will be restored," said Anderson, adding she expects it to be "multiple days" before power is fully restored to all homes. "Today we're focusing on assessing the damage."

As of 1:30 a.m. Saturday, outage figures from Domion Power:

Statewide: 540,285

Northern Virginia: 462,940

• Alexandria: 26,800
• Arlington: 58,000
• Fairfax County: 242,750
• City of Fairfax: 9,000
• Falls Church: About 4,700
• Prince William County: 22,000
• Loudoun County: 36,117

If your power is out, report it to Dominion Virginia Power by calling 866-DOM-HELP (866-366-4357), or by visiting the Dominion Storm Center, even if you think your neighbor has already reported it.

Heat Tips

• If you don’t have air conditioning, go somewhere that has it. If you have to, try to stay on the lowest floor of a building and stay out of the sun.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated—a key component to keeping yourself cool.
• Dress in light colored, lightweight clothes.
• Try to spend the hottest part of the day in an air-conditioned location, such as your local library, movie theater or mall.
• Check on your elderly neighbors, who are more susceptible to heat-related health problems.
• Even with shade and water, it’s just too hot for your animals to be outside.
• Double Dog Dare blogger Ariel Leath has .

Were you surprised by the severity of this storm? What were you doing when the derecho hit the area? Tell us in the Comments.

Patch editors Jason Spencer and Lauren Jost contributed to this story.