State of Emergency: 15,000 Without Power in Loudoun; Widespread Road Closures

The powerful nor’easter that shut down schools throughout the region today has left thousands of Loudoun homes and businesses without electricity and numerous roads closed by downed powerlines and trees. Gov. Ralph Northam this afternoon declared a statewide state of emergency in response to the weather.

At times Rt. 15 and  Rt.50 were among the scores of roads that were closed to traffic. See the full listing of reported road closures here.

High winds—gusts in excess of 65 mile per hour were measured at Dulles Airport this morning—continued through the day.

At 4 p.m., Dominion Energy was reporting that 15,000 Loudoun customers were without power. NOVEC reported that 2,5000 of its Loudoun customers were without power.

The state of emergency declaration is designed to better coordinate emergency response efforts and to ensure localities have access to resources they need.

School leaders made the call to cancel classes early this morning and the federal government shut down operations in Washington because of the hazardous weather. Many businesses also were forced to close because of the power outages.

Outages also forced the closure the Purcellville Library, the Claude Moore Recreation and Community Center, the Claude Moore Park and Visitors Center, the Round Hill Indoor Aquatic Center, and the Bluemont Community Center.