Flooding and wind remain big concerns following a line of thunderstorms that moved northeast through the region Wednesday evening.
The City of Laurel recommended evacuations Thursday in response to the threat of flooding. The order was signed by Mayor Craig A. Moe and said that water from the T. Howard Duckett Dam could cause flooding along the Patuxent River. The city said all residential and business properties from Main Street North to the Patuxent River should evacuate.
More than a dozen roads flooded in Loudoun County, and Shenandoah County Schools closed Thursday due to flooding. The Bay Bridge and Harry W. Nice Bridge were under a wind restriction just after six a.m. CSX trains were also under a flood restriction -- preventing trains from traveling faster than 40 miles per hour.
Power outages in the Washington Metro area were not severe as of 6:15 a.m. Pepco had 1,089 customers without power, Dominion Power had about 100 customers in Northern Virginia without power, and BGE had about 1000 customers without power in Howard, Anne Arundel, and Prince George's counties.
The severe storms brought heavy rain and potential for damaging winds and dangerous lightning.
Flash flooding and water rescues already have been reported in the area, and some locations had received 2-3 inches of rain by 9:15 p.m. Another half-inch to an inch is likely, with 2 more inches possible some places.
Drivers are reminded not to drive on roadways covered with water -- it's often deeper than it appears and just a foot of flowing water is enough to sweep a car off the road.
Powerful storms lashed the South on Wednesday, including a tornado that touched down in northwest Georgia just before noon.
One person was killed when a tornado tore through Adairsville, Ga., overturning cars on I-75 and inflicting major structural damage, the Bartow County emergency management office confirmed to the Weather Channel.
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