Flood warnings extended
- Original Baltimore Sun article: Flood warnings extended
The National Weather Service has extended its flood warning for several central Maryland counties as a drenching rain continues to cause problems for the morning commute, including reports of numerous road closures, train and school delays, and power outages.
Schools in Anne Arundel County are opening two hours late this morning because of flooding and widespread power outages. Police there say 25 to 30 roads were closed this morning because of high water, most of them in the southern and central part of the county. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reports 14,539 customers are without power in Anne Arundel this morning, the hardest hit area in the state.
The good news out of Arundel this morning: 'Accident-wise, we're not that bad,' said county police dispatcher Cathy Zichos.
The Maryland Transit Administration was reporting delays on the MARC train service to Washington because of flooding and trees down across tracks. Some trains are operating up to 45 minutes late, and at least one to Washington has been canceled, according to officials. The Washington Metro system is honoring MARC tickets.
Significant flooding also has been reported on the Eastern Shore and in southern Maryland and the Washington suburbs. Trees are down and numerous roads are closed in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, authorities said. Schools are closed in Charles County. This morning, a portion of a home collapsed in Camp Springs, Prince George's County, due to a sinkhole, fire officials said.
Last night and this morning, at least 12 roads were closed in Wicomico County because of downed trees or power lines. A two-story house collapsed in Washington when a tree fell on it, police said. BGE reported this morning that 33,100 customers were without power. In addition to the outages in Anne Arundel, 7,740 customers were without electricity in Calvert County, 4,054 in Baltimore City, 2,699 in Harford, 1,311 in Howard County and 1,626 in Baltimore County.
Shortly before 7 a.m., the North Beach community in Calvert County reported losing power in the entire town.
Maryland State Police report that flooding has forced authorities to close several lanes of U.S. 50 between Annapolis and Washington, at Route 202 near the Washington Beltway. Police said this morning that only one lane is getting by on each side, causing significant delays. An accident on southbound Interstate 95 in Howard County north of Route 175 also is causing delays, state police said.
In Bel Air, north of Baltimore, police said the major problem was the wind, not rain. Downed power lines and traffic lights are causing delays, state police said, particularly at U.S. 1 and Route 152. 'We're out there directing traffic,' said State Police Sgt. C. Shum of the Bel Air Barracks.
In Worcester County , schools opened two hours late this morning, but the resort town of Ocean City appears to have made it through the storm unscathed. Some low lying roads, such as St. Louis Avenue, are flooded, but Coastal Highway is open and only some debris is flying about in blustery winds, according to Police Officer Michael Levy.
Further north in Delaware, many power lines and trees are down, said Carol Cathell from the state storm center. A roof blew off a house along the coast and a roof came off a poultry plant further inland, she said. Route 1, the coastal road, is closed between Dewey and Bethany because of flooding, Cathell said.
The rainfall totals set a new record at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport. According to the National Weather Service, the airport got 1.49 inches of rain yesterday, breaking the old record of 1.28 inches set in 1924. Also, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport got 2.63 inches of rain yesterday, also breaking a record set in 1924 when with 1.48 inches.
The National Weather Service says the flood warning remains in effect until 12:15 p.m. for Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, Howard, Prince George's, Frederick, St. Mary's and Montgomery counties. Two more inches of rain today are expected.
Sun reporter Chris Guy contributed to this article.
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