Area Cleans Up from Storms, Water Main Break

THERE WAS WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE in the D.C. region yesterday, but not a drop to drink in upper Montgomery County — not straight from the tap, anyway.

The big news this morning for residents there is that water use restrictions have been lifted, but people are still being advised to boil water before drinking it, The Post's Steve Hendrix and Dan Morse reported this morning.

The restrictions came after a 48-inch water main ruptured in a wooded area, affecting water supplies for much of the county outside the Beltway. The order was lifted Monday evening.

Meanwhile, the batch of severe thunderstorms that pounded the area with wind, heavy rain and hail led to another round of power outages, affecting about 150,000 homes from Loudoun County to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, The Post's Paul Schwartzman and Martin Weil report.

The winds toppled several large tents on the National Mall, briefly trapping seven children and three adults inside, The Post reports. They sustained minor injuries.

But the big difference between this week's storms and last week's appeared to be the hail. From The Post:

Hailstones, signs of powerful updrafts, were reported in sizes ranging from marbles to baseballs, and Virginia highway authorities sent a snowplow to push them off a section of Route 29 near Ruckersville, northeast of Charlottesville.

Today's weather, according to the Capital Weather Gang, is expected to be blissfully warm, but not too warm. And no inclement weather. And no humidity. Mother Nature clearly needs a breather.

» "Water Line Restored in Montgomery Co" [WaPo]
» "Storms Cut Power to Thousands" [WaPo]

Graphic by The Washington Post. Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post

Posted By Greg Barber at 9:12 AM on June 17, 2008 Tagged in Free Ride , Maryland , Montgomery County , News , The District , Top Stories , Virginia

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