power outage

Power Turned Off in Waycroft-Woodlawn for Tree Maintenance

By ARLnow.com

Dominion is shutting off the power to 82 homes in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood today so that a contractor can perform tree maintenance near power lines.

The maintenance comes just under three weeks after a strong storm felled trees and knocked out power to homes in the area, near Virginia Hospital Center.

The power will be shut off from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Dominion said in a letter to affected residents. The work is being performed “near the primary line that feeds [the] neighborhood,” according to the letter.

Traffic Lights Out Near Ballston Metro

By ARLnow.com

The traffic lights at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and North Stafford Drive are dark due to a small power outage in the area.

About 100 Dominion customers are affected by the outage. The company expects to get the power back on by 4:00 this afternoon.

Police are placing portable stop signs on the road to remind drivers to treat the intersection as a four-way stop.

Earlier this morning, fire fighters responded to the adjacent Central United Methodist Church for a report of smoke in the boiler room, likely a result of the power outage.

Power Outage in North Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Nearly 3,500 Dominion customers in North Arlington are without power this afternoon. The outage was possibly caused by a branch that hit a power line and caused a transformer to catch fire.

Police report that traffic lights on Glebe Road are out from I-66 near Ballston to Lee Highway. The outage at the busy Lee Highway and North Glebe Road intersection has the potential for a significant traffic impact.

Initial reports suggest other traffic lights may also be out on Lee Highway.

Several tripped alarms and stuck elevators have been reported in the area, likely a result of the outage.

Update at 1:40 p.m. — Power has been restored to most Dominion customers.

DEVELOPING — Power Outage Hits Reagan National Airport

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:10 p.m. — Airport officials say power has been restored and ticketing lines are beginning to move. They still advising travelers to check with their airline and print boarding passes at home, if possible, due to residual delays from the outage.

Officials at Reagan National Airport are “anticipating major delays and cancellations” as a result of a power outage affecting Terminals B and C.

The outage is affecting ticket counters and concessions, airport spokesperson Courtney Mickalonis said. Power has been restored at TSA security screening stations.

Mickalonis said passengers flying out of Regan National today should check with their airlines first, then, if possible, go online to print out their boarding passes.

The power outage hit at 11:45 this morning, typically a slower time for the airport. But as evening approaches, and more and more flights are affected by the outage, major delays are likely.

At 1:00 this afternoon, there were already long lines forming at the curbside check-in stations.

The source of the power outage appears to be a fire at a power substation just north of the terminal. The substation is located at the headquarters building for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is also without power.

Major Power Outage Hits Clarendon Area as Storm Approaches

By ARLnow.com

Update: Power was restored around 6:35 p.m.

Photo of a Gold’s Gym step aerobics class being held outside during the power outage courtesy Matthew Henneman.

More than 3,600 Dominion customers are without power in the Clarendon area this evening. Police are reporting that numerous traffic lights are dark on Wilson, Clarendon and Washington Boulevards, causing traffic tie-ups in the area.

It’s not clear what’s causing the power outage (Dominion says “a circuit line is down”) or when the lights might come back on. A line of storms is approaching the area from the southwest, which could compound traffic problems if the lights remain out when the rain starts.

Widespread Power Outage in North Arlington

By ARLnow.com

On a hot and sticky Thursday evening, more than 4,100 Dominion customers are without power in North Arlington. A blown transformer is believed to be the source of the outage.

The transformer blew just after 5:00 this afternoon and sparked a small grass fire, which was promptly extinguished.

Police are reporting that numerous traffic lights are dark in the area of Yorktown High School.

Dominion estimates that power will be restored around 9:00 tonight.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Power Outage in Ballston/Virginia Square — More than 1,600 Dominion customers are without power this morning due to a problem with an underground cable in the area of the Ballston and Virginia Square Metro stations, according to WJLA.

Arlington Spy Suspects Admit True Identities — Patricia Mills and Michael Zottoli, the Pentagon City couple arrested last weekend and charged with being secret agents for the Russian government, are actually Russian citizens named Natalia Pereverzeva and Mikhail Kutzik, prosecutors have revealed. The couple and a third Arlington defendant, Mikhail Semenko, briefly appeared in court Friday. They will face a preliminary hearing in Alexandria federal court on Wednesday.

Road Closure on Wilson Blvd as Dominion Fixes Transformer

By ARLnow.com

Dominion has brought in a crane to fix a transformer at Wilson Boulevard and North Randolph Street, across the street from Ballston Common Mall.

During the repairs, one lane of westbound Wilson Boulevard will be closed. The work is expected to wrap up between 5:00 and 5:30 tonight.

Meanwhile, the blown transformer has knocked out power to a building in the area.

Storms Knock Out Power Throughout South Arlington

By ARLnow.com

A large swath of South Arlington was without power tonight after strong storms swept through the area and damaged a power substation in Alexandria.

Throughout Shirlington and all along Columbia Pike, homes, apartment buildings and traffic lights went dark. Police, swamped with calls, were largely unable to direct traffic, even at busy intersections.

As of 10:45 p.m., Dominion reported that 16,180 customers in Arlington were without power. Just before 11:00 p.m., power started coming back online in many areas.

The storms, which hit shortly before dusk, brought heavy rain and gusty winds to the area. WJLA reported that a 55 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in Rosslyn.

In front of Virginia Highlands Park in Pentagon City, the trunk of a tree splintered, sending most of the tree across the road and onto two parked cars. South Hayes Street was closed while crews with chainsaws and a Bobcat front end loader cleared the debris.

Elsewhere in Pentagon City, which escaped the worst of the power outage, large branches littered the sidewalk. On nearby South Joyce Street, in front of the Harris Teeter, a lamp post had come crashing down.

Around Shirlington, neighbors came out of darkened apartment buildings with flashlights to walk their dogs and talk with one another. A block party atmosphere prevailed in some areas.

But others used the power outage as an opportunity to conduct dark deeds.

In Nauck, a group of several men reportedly jumped a man, punched him in the face and stole his wallet.