The cleanup begins after Friday's (March 2, 2018) deadly windstorm. Damage and destruction reminiscent of Hurricane Sandy can be found throughout the state of Maryland which in turn lead to a state of emergency declaration from Governor Larry Hogan.
Numerous trees were toppled over along with downed power lines leaving hundreds of thousands in the dark. Still as of 3pm Saturday March 3rd, MEMA (Maryland Emergency Management Association) is reporting over 175,000 customers without power throughout the state. Crews are working very hard to get everyone back online hopefully by Monday morning.
Some of our hardest hit areas included neighborhoods in Hartford and Cecil counties plus right here in Baltimore County along I-83 north. Trees were snapped in many neighborhoods crushing cars, houses, and anything else within there path. Besides the trees many had to dodge trash cans, shingles, patio furniture, and even grills that were picked up and thrown through the air.
This debris plus the toppled trees and wind created havoc on our roadways. Numerous closures and restrictions were put in place on area bridges from the Maryland Transportation Authority as winds gusted over 60 mph. These gusts were responsible for toppling 2 tractor trailers on the Tidings Bridge in Harford County and knocking several trees down on US-40 at the Hatem Bridge. Delays and closures spanned for several hours putting traffic at a chaotic standstill.
Luckily things continue to improve this Saturday as the winds lighten.High Wind Warnings have finally been canceled all across the area despite the winds remaining gusty. Winds look to continue at 15-30 mph out of the northwest with gusts around 30 mph at times. Things begin to really calm down overnight as the ridge of high pressure moves in. With that said clear skies above and calming winds equal the perfect set up for cold conditions. Overnight lows look to fall into the upper 20s and low 30s for most adding insult to those without power.
It will still be a bit breezy of Sunday with gusts upwards of 20 mph and temperatures around 50 degrees. Tuesday and Wednesday are when things get interesting with our next storm. We could once again be dealing with gusty winds, rain, and even some snow.
