Washington DC region swelters after storm cuts power

Skooter reporting 07/01/12

After a violent storms with packing winds of up to 80 mph (130 kph) struck the region around the US capital, Washington DC, nearly three million people have been left without power.

The power cuts left many blistering without air conditioning in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave. About 12 deaths have been blamed to the storm, six deaths in Virginia, two in New Jersey, two in Maryland, one in Ohio and one in Washington DC.

The storm is locally referred to as in Spanish “derecho”, meaning go straight in English, is a violent, straight-lined windstorm associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. The monster storms left behind felled trees, streets littered with broken branches and downed power lines.

Most metro lines according to Washington's transit authority were back to normal service after the storm cut off service on all lines during Friday night. Due to downed trees and power lines many Metrobus routes were subjected to detours or delay. Amtrak suspended services from Washington to Philadelphia.

The heatwave records an all-time high with temperatures of 104F (40C) in DC. The National Weather Service warned that another round of severe weather disturbance was set to continue.

New York Post