Monday’s storm hammered the region with rain and wind — but very little damage compared to what was predicted to be a severe weather event with the possibility of tornadoes and straight-line winds.
“The midday threat did not materialize because we expected more breaks of sun during the day,” said meteorologist Sean Sublette. “Not that we expected it to turn entirely sunny, but at least some sunnier breaks. That would have warmed the ground a bit more to induce thunderstorms.”
According to the National Weather Service office in Sterling, there were no confirmed tornadoes in the greater Fredericksburg region. In Spotsylvania County, there were 24 fire and rescue responses to downed trees and blocked roadways overnight and this morning, said county spokesperson Michelle McGinnis. Caroline County Sheriff Scott Moser said there were 32 responses to trees blocking roadways there.
“The winds aloft were certainly sufficient to produce spin in the storms if they had gotten started during the afternoon (which you might have noticed in the final squall line that came through most of the state on Monday evening),” said Sublette. “That squall line was better forecast, as it produced dozens of reports of wind damage statewide.” (interactive map here)
Wind knocked down power lines and trees across the range, leading many residents to lose power. As of Tuesday there were still 3,423 people in Stafford County without power; 1,175 in Spotsylvania; 876 in Caroline; 328 in Fredericksburg; and eight in King George, according to Dominion Energy and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.
Traffic signal operation was affected in some localities due to the power outages, including several intersections on Route 1 in North Stafford. Signals have a battery backup power source that lasts for several hours, but once the battery is exhausted, the signal will be dark. Once power is restored, the signal will briefly flash as a warning before resuming full color operation. By early afternoon Tuesday, only three signals in Stafford and two signals in Caroline remained out of service, due to an ongoing power outage.
VDOT crews, assisted by multiple tree removal contractors in each county, worked overnight and through midday Tuesday, March 17, to reopen travel lanes. While most roads remained passable to traffic following the storm, or were closed only for a short time, a tree blocked Old Plank Road in Spotsylvania County during the morning commute on Tuesday, but it had reopened by midday. Nearly all state-maintained roads are now open, with one low-volume secondary road remaining closed in a subdivision in Spotsylvania.
The weather prompted all school districts in the region to close Monday, plus early closures of county and city governments and businesses. Court hearings were rescheduled due to power issues in Spotsylvania County.
