Thousands of Arlington residents remain without power this afternoon (Friday) after a storm swept through the county last night, pummeling trees and power lines.
Almost 4,000 Dominion Energy customers remained without power as of 3:30 p.m., some of whom may not see power restored until around midnight or later, spokesperson Aisha Khan told ARLnow.
Large swaths of the county went dark during the height of the storm, which arrived around midnight with wind gusts around 60-70 mph and heavy lightning and rain. Fallen tree limbs, downed wires and broken cross arms were the most common causes for the outages, which impacted around 20,000 Arlington customers at their peak.
Arlington County has received over 60 requests for service and is currently prioritizing blocked roads, particularly on major and arterial roads, county spokesperson Ryan Hudson told ARLnow. He described the event as a “25-year” storm.
“They were a mix of blocked roads, blocked trails, and sidewalks, as well as trees down in parks,” Hudson said. “[Department of Environmental Services] and [Department of Parks and Recreation] crews have been out since this morning working to remove downed trees on County property.”
After dealing with roadways, staff plan to move onto sidewalks, partial road blockages and trails.
Some traffic signals may also be out of service, Hudson said.
As clean up from last night's storm continues, you may find areas in the County where the traffic signals are not operational. Remember 🚦:
No signal – treat as a four way stop
Flashing red – treat as a stop sign
Flashing yellow – proceed with caution pic.twitter.com/0GpJs4IR3K— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) September 4, 2026
Arlington County’s Emergency Communications Center received over 60 storm-related calls last night, including seven calls for downed wires, two accidents and one structure fire.
One bright spot appears to have been the county’s stormwater infrastructure, which held up relatively well, Hudson said.
“Much of the County’s stormwater and drainage systems appear to have handled the short, intense rain, thanks in part to the Cardinal Stormwater Vault (which reached record levels) and Ballston Wetland Park,” he said.
Hudson encouraged residents to report downed trees on county roads and property using the online Report-a-Problem tool, to contact Dominion Energy for power outages and to call 911 for emergencies only.
