"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."

Russell Baker
American Journalist & Writer

A Summer Storm

On August 5, 2010, ferocious late afternoon thunderstorms slammed into the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area bringing 80 mph straight-line wind gusts and a torrent of drenching rain.

The explosive weather system triggered a rare regional tornado warning by the National Weather Service, brought down numerous tree limbs, ripped shingles off of roofs, and caused widespread power outages affecting more than 75,000 PEPCO and 80,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers. According to News Channel 8, heavy damage was reported throughout Alexandria and many surrounding counties.

Close to home, several trees fell along the George Washington Parkway in both directions between I-395 and Old Town. One tree fell on three cars and a bus travelling on the Parkway near Slaters Lane just north of Watergate, resulting in the closure of one of the region’s most heavily travelled commuter thoroughfares during the middle of rush hour.

Another tree fell across the entirety of North Royal Street between Watergate of Alexandria and Montgomery Park, blocking all traffic.

The pictures on this page were taken in and around Watergate just before the trailing edge of the storms passed through the neighborhood.

In contrast to January’s destructive snow storms, there was relatively little permanent damage to our property. And the storms did bring some relief to the day’s miserable 97-degree heat.

Sometimes it’s not so bad when life delivers an unbeckoned adversity, inviting us to sit in the dark, contemplate our total and irrational dependency on the electron, and hail the inventors of red wine, notebook computers, lithium ion batteries, and wireless data cards.

Not much on television in the middle of August, anyway.