Driven by an Arctic cold front, the wind blew in with a vengeance yesterday, bringing down trees, sparking brush fires and leaving thousands without power.
Just days ago, the high reached 73 degrees, a warm memory compared with today's expected low of 18.
Gusts exceeded 60 mph yesterday throughout parts of Maryland and in the Baltimore metro area, said Calvin Meadows, a meteorologist technician for the National Weather Service at Sterling, Va.
While yesterday hit a high of 47, today is expected to reach 32 degrees and be far less windy than yesterday, when gusts took a toll.
In Baltimore and in four surrounding counties, nearly 20,000 customers were without power by the early evening. Of that number, 8,000 were in Anne Arundel County, 6,000 in Baltimore County, 2,000 in Baltimore City, 2,000 in Howard County and 800 in Harford County.
Crews were expected to be working overnight to restore power, said Linda Foy, a BGE spokeswoman.
The weather didn't make things any easier for crews trying to complete their work.
"After crews restore power to one area during the wind event, they go to another area and restore power there," Foy said. "Then the crews often have to return to the original area and restore power there all over again."
The dry conditions contributed to at least two brush fires caused by falling electrical wires that sent sparks flying.
In Baltimore County, wind-blown overhead electrical wires fell in an isolated area off the 7900 block of Dogwood Road in Woodlawn shortly after 3 p.m. and set aflame 2 acres of dry brush, a county Fire Department official said. The fire took about three hours to bring under control.
In Anne Arundel County, winds brought down high-voltage lines near Severna Park High School, causing a brush fire that was fanned by high winds, said Lt. Frank Fennell, a county Fire Department spokesman.
No buildings were threatened and no injuries were reported, Fennell said.
Capt. Harry Steiner, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel Police Department, said officers were busy throughout the day responding to reports of branches and trees fallen in roads or on power lines. He said no injuries had been reported.
Baltimore firefighters responded to more than 30 wind-related calls, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a Fire Department spokesman. Most of the calls - for things such as arcing wires and minor wind damage - were in the northwest and northeast portions of the city, he said. No injuries were reported.
