High Winds

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge has been closed to traffic as of 7:35 p.m., after high winds due to Hurricane Irene exceeded 55 mph, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. All other bridge and toll facilities are open, although there are wind restrictions on the Key, Nice, Hatem and Tydings bridges due to recorded wind speeds up to 39 mph, according to an announcement on the MdTA website. As a result, those driving house trailers, box trailers, motorcycles, vehicles with roof-mount racks containing cargo or any other vehicle that may be subject to high winds should use caution on those bridges, according to MdTA.

High winds and an overturned tractor trailer closed the eastbound and westbound spans of the Bay Bridge for several hours Wednesday afternoon. It reopened to passenger vehicles in both directions just after 6 p.m. The accident happened at about 2 p.m., when the westbound vehicle was struck by a gust of wind and forced against the guardrail. The passenger-side tires of both the trailer and cab were lifted from the pavement. The trailer was twisted like a piece of aluminum foil. The unidentified driver received minor injuries and was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis for treatment, officials said.

High winds are forecast across the region Saturday with a gale warning in effect on the Chesapeake Bay until noon, according to the National Weather Service. A gale warning means winds of 34 to 47 knots (39 to 54 mph) are expected. Forecasters say that could mean dangerous conditions for anyone venturing out onto the bay, especially in smaller boats. Even after the gale subsides, condtions will remain treacherous for inexperienced sailors, according to the Weather Service. In response to conditions, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is operating under a wind warning, with the Maryland Transportation Authority urging drivers to use caution while crossing.

Expectations of a storm to bring the heaviest snow in at least two years for the region have been dialed back as the National Weather Service has canceled its winter storm warning. High winds and wet roads remain a concern. Check here for live blog updates on conditions and forecasts. 4:36 p.m.:  Weather service meteorologists are no longer expecting any meaningful wintry precipitation Wednesday night, lifting the winter weather advisory for much of Central Maryland. Concerns remain over high winds in the Baltimore area and dangerous conditions along the coast, however, with rough surf and some rescues needed.

Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. spokesman Rob Gould reported that several thousand customers in the Baltimore metropolitan area were without power due to the high winds raking the area Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, BGE's website reported nearly 7,700 customers without power, but those numbers began decreasing Saturday evening. BGE had opened its storm center in Woodlawn to deal with any outages or emergencies associated with the powerful winds, which were expected to continue buffeting the area throughout the day and evening.

As Sandy pounds the mid-Atlantic coast Monday, the Baltimore region is bracing for gale-force winds and flooding. The area remains under a flood watch through Tuesday evening, with coastal flooding expected late Monday into Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy rain, as much as six inches, and high winds, with gusts as much as 70 miles per hour, will occur throughout Monday afternoon and well into Tuesday, according to forecasters. Mandatory travel restrictions will be imposed in Baltimore at 6 p.m. on Monday and stay in effect until noon on Tuesday, banning driving on city streets for everyone but emergency personnel.

About 6,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers lost power overnight as high winds pummeled the region, but their lights were back on by 6:30 a.m. Sunday, the utility said. "The high winds brought down power lines — and brought tree limbs down onto some power lines," said a spokeswoman for BGE, Rachael L. Lighty. BGE had warned consumers that outages were likely, with winds up to 48 miles per hour and snow flurries in the forecast. Mostly sunny skies were predicted for the Baltimore region on Sunday, and the daytime high was expected to reach 34, according to the National Weather Service.

High winds and blowing snow were complicating the morning commute for some residents around the Baltimore region. Baltimore County activated its snow emergency plan, which means no parking is allowed on designated snow emergency routes and only cars with snow or all-weather radial tires are permitted on the roads. Most state roads were passable for the morning rush, said Maryland State Highway Administration spokeswoman Lora Rakowski. "As the sun comes up, roads are in good condition throughout most of the Baltimore area," she said.

All of Harford County was virtually shut down Monday, as residents braced for the worst of the powerful Hurricane Sandy, which was ever closer to making landfall on the coast between Maryland and New Jersey. Heavy rain pelted the county overnight Sunday and throughout the day Monday. Increasing sustained wind were also evident in advance of the storm, whose worse impacts are expected from Monday evening through Tuesday, according to the most recent National Weather Service forecasts.

Gusting winds measured at 80 mph interrupted service to about 14,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers in the Baltimore area last night, a utility spokesman said. In Baltimore, the Fire Department responded to numerous reports of fallen power lines and arcing, but no serious incidents were reported. Steve Unglesbee, the BGE spokesman, said the unusually high winds were recorded from 10:05 p.m. to 10:10 p.m. at the company's electrical operations building on Windsor Mill Road in Woodlawn.

Much of the predicted snowstorm that closed local schools and put highway crews on the alert Wednesday failed to materialize in Harford County. Predictions for snow accumulations fluctuated as the late-winter storm system, known as Winter Storm Saturn, approached the Mid-Atlantic region. The storm left much of the Eastern Seaboard with wet and heavy snow, power outages, flooding and major traffic accidents, although Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region escaped with mostly mixed rain and snow, and high winds, according to Weather.com.

High winds are forecast across the region Saturday with a gale warning in effect on the Chesapeake Bay until noon, according to the National Weather Service. A gale warning means winds of 34 to 47 knots (39 to 54 mph) are expected. Forecasters say that could mean dangerous conditions for anyone venturing out onto the bay, especially in smaller boats. Even after the gale subsides, condtions will remain treacherous for inexperienced sailors, according to the Weather Service. In response to conditions, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is operating under a wind warning, with the Maryland Transportation Authority urging drivers to use caution while crossing.

4:15 p.m. UPDATE: The wind advisory for the Baltimore region has been canceled. Gusts at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport topped out at 43 mph Thursday afternoon. Winds are expected to diminish in the later afternoon and evening hours. Original post continues below, updated as of 1 p.m.   A wind advisory warning is in effect from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. for the greater Baltimore metro area. Northwest winds of 25 mph to 35 mph can be expected along with gusts of up to 55 mph, which could down trees and affect power lines, the Weather Service said.

Central Maryland is under a high wind watch starting Saturday morning, with gusts expected to reach 60 mph during the day. The forecast prompted utility Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. to warn of possible power outages. Rain is forecast to usher in the change in weather pattern Thursday evening, with blustery weather expected Friday and through Saturday. Sustained winds of 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph are expected Friday, increasing to sustained 30 mph winds with up to 60 mph gusts Saturday.

Millions of gallons of raw sewage were overflowing into the Little Patuxent River in Howard County late Monday and early Tuesday morning after two separate electrical feeds were cut off at the Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant, according to county officials. Officials were not sure when the overflow would be stopped. The plant, about a half-mile east of the intersection of Route 1 and Route 32 at 8900 Greenwood Place in Savage, serves the central part of Howard County. Power was knocked out to the first 32,000-volt electrical feeder amid high winds and rain in the region because of superstorm Sandy about 8:30 or 9 p.m., and to the second at 11 p.m., said Stephen Gerwin, the county's utilities bureau chief.

It began to rain yesterday evening as I sat on the porch with a pipe and a Manhattan, calm in the knowledge that the preparations, all that could be done, were complete. The grill and the porch furniture were in the garage. Five loads of laundry were complete. Coffee beans, enough for a few days' pots, had been ground and stored. Kathleen had made a large quantity of beef barley soup, and there was, of course, bourbon on hand. This morning, with the full force of Hurricane Sandy yet to come, I've supplied you with the word of the week, sockdolager , and the joke of the week, "The Sailor and the Pirate.

Violent winds - part of a turbulent evening storm - caused a tractor-trailer to overturn last night on the Millard E. Tydings Bridge, which carries Interstate 95 over the Susquehanna River, state police said. The 8 p.m. accident closed the southbound lanes of I-95 for about an hour, said police Sgt. Timothy Wright. The driver, who was treated for minor injuries at Harford Memorial Hospital, said he saw a tornado touch down on the bridge just before his rig tipped over, Wright said. National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Rogowski said there was no evidence of a tornado and that the truck was most likely knocked over by straight-line winds of 50 to 70 mph. No other wind damage was reported, he said.

Powerful winds ripped across much of Maryland last night, toppling trees onto power lines, damaging buildings and property, and ushering in sharply colder weather.Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reported that the wind gusts reached the western edge of its million-customer Central Maryland power system in Howard and Carroll counties about 5 p.m. and were clocked at more than 50 mph.By 9:30 p.m., BG&E said, about 49,000 of its customers were without electricity. Hardest hit, said utility spokeswoman Peggy D. Mulloy, were Anne Arundel County, where power was out for 14,000 homes and businesses; Howard County, with 8,600 customers lacking power; and Carroll County, with 7,800 customers affected.

With one day before Hurricane Sandy was expected to knock out power for much of the area, Marylanders like Rob Reichel spent Monday braving the wet and windy weather to ensure their families had what they needed to get through the storm. "We wanted to cook another nice dinner tonight while we still have power," said Reichel, 48, as he shopped at the Giant on York Road in Baltimore. He said he was motivated by the need for more milk and other provisions, along with "a little curiosity" about Sandy.

Governor Martin O'Malley said Maryland was experiencing "America's weather in miniature" as the remnants of Sandy approached the state bringing blizzards in the west, tidal flooding in the east and wind and rain everywhere else. "This is goin to be a long night," Governor O'Malley said. "The next 12 hours of this storm will likely be the most intense. " Snow was already falling in the western-most parts of the state at 10 p.m. Monday and blizzard warnings were in effect, with 7-to-11 inches of snow forecast overnight in Oakland.