Community Corner

Loudoun Weather Update: Restrictions and Tips

It may be a long night as residents wait for restoration of power and are reminded to stay safe.

UPDATE 12:45 p.m. July 2: Lenah Run water restrictions lifted.

UPDATE 12:24 p.m. July 1: Across Northern Virginia, 263,000 Dominion customers were still without without power as of 12:16 p.m. Small pockets throught Loudoun still have no power. While many of those pockets of customers are less than 50, parts of Sterling remain more significantly affected. About 2,800 NOVEC customers in Loudoun still have no power.

UPDATE 8:50 p.m. June 30: Beacon Hill Water restrictions lifted.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Today’s excessive heat advisory expires at 9 p.m. and as many as 40,000 residents in eastern Loudoun may still be without power, according to power companies and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, who has asked residents to avoid the eastern portions of Routes 50 and 7 because excessive traffic signal outages.

Additional storms may also hit the area tonight, complicating the situation.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Loudoun Water has put two communities that operate on communal wells on mandatory water restrictions [see notice at bottom of story].

NOVEC reported around 6:30 p.m. that 13,000 of its customers remained without power, with about 3,200 in Loudoun County. Dominion reported at 7:20 p.m. that 367,922 homes remained without power in Northern Virginia, several thousand in eastern Loudoun. At one point, more than half of Dominion’s nearly 832,000 customers were without power. NOVEC reported that nearly 24,000 of its customers had lost power initially. Both companies said some customers may not have power restored for several days.

Because of the lost power, the county has issued safety tips for those using generators to make up for lost power. A story on food safety tips previously ran. Generator tips:

  • When using portable generators, use them only outdoors in well ventilated areas. Do not use generators in garages, near doors, windows or vents. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless byproduct of combustion engines that can cause illness and death.
  • Never add fuel to a running or hot generator. Let it cool before you add fuel!

For additional safety information during this exremely hot weather, visit www.loudoun.gov/heat.

Residents currently without power are asked to consider making plans to seek shelter during the heat with friends, family or neighbors, as well as at public buildings such as movie theaters, shopping malls and other community facilities. Residents are also encouraged to check in on vulnerable neighbors who may need assistance without power.

Several cooling stations have also been established at public facilities in Loudoun County:

  • Carver Center in Purcellville
  • Sterling Center in Sterling
  • Douglas Center in Leesburg
  • North Street Leesburg, Leesburg Police Department (community room)
  • and the Dulles Town Center.  

Please visit www.loudoun.gov for the street addresses of the cooling centers.
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms if possible, and use common sense during the day.

As there is a potential for more severe storms this evening, residents are encouraged to take shelter during the storm, only travel if necessary, and monitor local radio and television for weather reports. Secure outdoor furniture and other items to eliminate the chances of further damage from high winds, falling trees or flying debris. When dealing with post-storm debris removal, residents are reminded to stay away from downed wires as they may be live with electricity. If you see a downed line, report it immediately.

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Personnel encourage residents to stay informed about the latest weather information and stay safe.

Contact info for additional resources for Loudoun can be found here.

Water restriction notice for Beacon Hill and Lenah Run:
Due to damage and power outages caused by last night’s storms, Loudoun Water is immediately instituting mandatory water restrictions for residents of the Beacon Hill and Lenah Run communities.
Due to extremely high temperatures this week, water consumption has been at its highest for the year.  While the water is safe to drink, the damage and power outages are impacting our ability to keep the Beacon Hill and Lenah Run Community Water Systems supplied at this time.
It is imperative that the residents of Beacon Hill and Lenah Run follow the mandatory water restrictions until we can restore normal operations.  If supplies become critical and cause losses of pressure in the systems, Loudoun Water may be required to issue Precautionary Boil Water Advisories.
Until we are able to return the system to normal, it is imperative that residents of Beacon Hill and Lenah Run:

  • DO NOT USE WATER FOR ANY OUTDOOR USE. This includes: no watering of lawns, shrubs, or flowers; no washing of cars; and no topping off of swimming pools.
  • USE WATER INDOORS ONLY AS NECESSARY. Please take shorter showers.  Turn off faucets after washing hands. Limit the flushing of toilets.  Postpone the use of washing machines and dishwashers.

Loudoun Water will provide updates until mandatory restrictions are no longer necessary.


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