Posted on 03/02/2018 7:24:37 AM PST by EdnaMode
The federal government closed Friday morning due to high wind and resulting issues like power outages and fear of accidents, the Office of Personnel Management stated.
The powerful storm barreling toward the Northeast resulted in cooler temperatures and wind gusts over 60 MPH, classifying it as an extreme storm in the Washington, D.C., area.
Commuter trains Virginia Railway Express and the Maryland Rail Commuter were canceled, and the Metro was running slower during the above-ground sections. Most area schools were closed, as is the D.C. government, but federal employees who are approved for telework may work from home, GovExec reports.
At least 140,000 residents of Northern Virginia were without power due to the downed power lines, according to InsideNOVA.
David Harsanyi ✔ @davidharsanyi My kids' school is closed down today because of ... wind. 7:43 AM - Mar 2, 2018
Wind stations at Dulles International Airport clocked winds at 67 MPH, and Gaithersburg, Md., stations reported 69 MPH gusts according to the National Weather Service.
Megan McGrath ✔ @MeganMcGrath4 Fessenden St is closed at River Rd NW for downed tree. The wind is here! 3:10 AM - Mar 2, 2018 · Washington, DC
DC blows.
Now.....literally.
Both the Tydings (I95) and Hatem (US40) bridges over the Susquehanna River are closed. Both have overturned tractor trailers.
I don’t believe Virginians south of the Rappahannock, nor west of US 29, or western Marylanders are as wimpy as the DC denizens.
When I was working & they had to close down because of weather conditions(which was exceedingly rare)I was not paid for that day.
The problem is the trees that are not accustomed to these sustained winds.
We have had so many power outages here in NH over the last ten years that the power companies were finally forced to become proactive. They actually started trimming trees BEFORE they broke and brought down lines. The state government forced them. It is fiscally cheaper for the power company to wait until the line comes down and then trim the trees.
I live 40 miles south of the White House and one neighbor's house is shedding its aluminum-wrapped trim, which had just been installed two weeks ago as the final repair from the hail storm we had a year ago.
I have the poor guy's trim in my garage but it is trashed and will have to be replaced again.
I just saw that. I live within five miles of both.
Those bridges are several hundred feet over the river. Tumbling a trailer on a bridge like that must be the absolute scariest thing for a driver to ever experience.
My son starts a CDL class this month just across the Hatem Bridge.
Here in New Mexico, we call this "spring." Gusts over 60 are nothing new here. Hell, it's how the tumbleweeds migrate.
Last week, DC pols were on vacation. They didn’t come back until Tuesday. And now they’re taking a day off because it’s windy?
Me neither.
But, I think I might give them this one. The wind is blowing lots of stuff all over the place and I’d hate to see someone get hurt bad.
I think the same thing but my wife works for the DoD and where she works they were out of power this morning. She is telecommuting and our power down here has been stable so she is getting most of her work done rather than sitting around doing nothing up there.
Don't get me wrong as I have a very low opinion of a vast majority of Government employees as I have worked with them in one way or another since I was 18 years old. I figure that at least 80% do little to no work and just collect a paycheck from the taxpayers. I never had a high opinion of them then when I was stationed in the DC area my opinion fell even further and I have been upset about them ever since. Here in DC the pay grades are so inflated that it makes me sick. A standard secretary here in DC is a GS-9 whereas out in the field they are GS-3s or 4s.
Remember the sales guy saying...”vinyl is final”. Sure it is!
I just looked outside and two pieces of my vinyl siding are gone. Several years ago I found a place that sold the same siding and I bought a square So I'll have to spend a half hour replacing them this weekend.
At least I have some identical replacement pieces.
No shade on your wife intended.
Sure, a few buildings are going to go out here and there, but I haven’t heard that DC’s power is shut down over wide areas.
I’m on Cape Cod, and its raining and blowing, but it wouldn’t affect most people who are indoors. I think it’s at least as bad here as in DC. The storm is intensifying to our south, and will take its sweet time going by.
Whenever I’ve had to cross the I95 bridge, on a windy day, I make sure I am nor near any semi trucks. You can see them swerve in the wind. Bad!!
I’m sure it is scary.
Good luck to your son.
60mph???
Meh. Springtime in Texas.
Agree. 60 classifies as a breeze here in Oklahoma...sissies, each and every one.
60 mph!
May I suggest pussy hats for EVERYBODY?
5.56mm
DC Talk has a sample of a Billy Graham speech in one of their songs. “Can you see the wind? I’ve never seen the wind. I’ve see the effects of the wind.”—a metaphor for faith.
Kind of fitting that it’s very windy in Charlotte today.
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