Thunderstorms sweep through area, causing thousands to lose power

Successive lines of thunderstorms swept through Maryland, Washington and Virginia late yesterday afternoon, causing tens of thousands of customers to lose electric service. A tornado touched down in Fairfax County, Va.

The more severe storms hit Northern Virginia, Washington and Maryland counties south and east of Baltimore beginning about 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

A tornado touched down about 4: 50 p.m. on the west side of Fairfax County near the Loudoun County-Prince William County line and left a swath of damage 13 miles long and 100 yards wide, the weather service reported. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and several houses lost large sections of roof and siding. Five homes were condemned.

That same line of storms moved eastward into Prince George's County, where 61 mph winds were recorded about 5: 20 p.m., and to Anne Arundel County. Residents of southern Prince George's reported seeing tornadoes, although none apparently touched down.

In southern Anne Arundel, a wind gust ripped the roof from the Triangle Tobacco Warehouse in Waysons Corner.

Lightning caused power outages to more than 42,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers, 30,000 of them in southern Anne Arundel -- most of those in the Annapolis area, said BGE spokesman Arthur J. Slusark. At 11 p.m., 38,000 customers still were without power, about 28,000 in the Annapolis area.

Pub Date: 6/25/96