The outages are centered around Rosslyn and parts of Columbia Pike, according to Dominion’s outage map. An “Arlington Alert” message suggested the Pike power outage is due to “equipment failure.”
The utility is hoping to have electricity restored no later than 11:00 p.m.
County’s Debt Upgraded to ‘Stable’ — Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the outlook on Arlington County’s debt from “negative” to “stable.” The county’s otherwise triple-A bond rating was downgraded in 2011 due to Arlington’s “lose economic, financial and capital markets linkages to the federal government.” The upgrade reflects the federal government’s improved debt outlook. [Arlington County]
Vandalism at Powhatan Springs Park — The skate park at Powhatan Springs Park was closed Friday and Saturday due to graffiti. The graffiti was “nothing serious,” said Department of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish, but the park was closed while county crews removed it.
Arlington and the D.C. region is currently under an excessive heat warning. The National Weather Service says it will be dangerously hot today.
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…
The restaurant reopened Wednesday morning with temporary A/C units, District Taco owner Osiris Hoil said in an email. The county’s health department told the restaurant to close Tuesday after it was determined that food was being stored in an environment that was too warm.
“The A/C was a contributing factor, but not the reason for closure,” said Department of Human Services spokesman Kurt Larrick. “With the A/C not working, the refrigerator was overburdened and wasn’t able to keep the food cool enough.”
Update at 11:00 a.m. — WMATA has announced that passengers on Metrorail and Metrobus will be permitted to carry water in sealable, reusable bottles or containers until Friday.
Arlington and the surrounding region is under a heat advisory this afternoon.
An otherwise cool May has given way to the usual D.C. summer combination of temperatures in the 90s and uncomfortable humidity.
The previous record, of 89 degrees, was set back in 1922. The average high temperature for April 10 is 65 degrees, per the Capital Weather Gang.
The unseasonal spring heat is expected to stick around for at least another day. Tomorrow’s high temperature is predicted to be 81, according to the National Weather Service.
Streetcar Forum Tonight — The Arlington Committee of 100 will be holding a forum tonight entitled “Streetcar for Columbia Pike: Are the Benefits Worth the Costs?” The forum will be moderated by Sun Gazette editor Scott McCaffrey and the scheduled speakers are Arlington Chamber of Commerce Chairman David Decamp (speaking in favor of the streetcar) and ARLnow.com columnist Peter Rousselot (speaking against the streetcar). The event will take place at 8:00 p.m. at Marymount University (2807 N. Glebe Road). [Arlington Committee of 100]
Pricey Streetcar FOIA Request — Local fiscal watchdog Tim Wise is decrying the price tag attached to a Freedom of Information Act request he made regarding the Columbia Pike streetcar project. The county says Wise’s wide-ranging request will cost $2,858 to process. More than 80 percent of that cost would go to AECOM, a consultant working on the county’s transit program. [Sun Gazette]
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for Arlington and the surrounding region through 9:00 tonight.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service say scattered thunderstorms this afternoon and evening may produce damaging wind gusts, large hail, and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding.
The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory and an Excessive Heat Watch for Arlington and the surrounding region.
With temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees today and tomorrow (Saturday), forecasters are warning of possible heat-related illness. According to NBC 4, by Sunday this will be the longest heat wave — 11 straight days above 95 degrees — in D.C. area history.
As of 9:30 a.m. on Monday, 27,586 Dominion customers were still without power, down from 59,000 at noon on Saturday. The company says it has 4,200 employees and contractors working to restore power to customers in all affected areas, but notes that the huge scale of the damage is making restoration a multi-day process.
“Many poles and cross arms need to be replaced, and other infrastructure needs to be rebuilt,” Dominion said in a press release.
(Updated at 3:00 p.m.) The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has declared that the region’s air quality has reached the level of “Code Red” for today, meaning an unhealthy level of ozone pollution.
From a COG press release:
