More Than 2,100 Without Power In Baltimore County: BGE

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — There are more than 2,100 people in Baltimore County without power as of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Two schools are closed in Baltimore County, and some roads remain closed as well.

As severe thunderstorms with powerful winds swept across the state Wednesday, BGE reported that more than 45,000 customers lost power in Maryland. More than 20,000 of them were in Baltimore County.

Due to power outages, Lansdowne High School was closed Thursday, July 18, and Reisterstown Elementary School dismissed at 10:30 a.m., according to Baltimore County Public Schools. All after-school and evening activities were canceled at both schools.

There were 5,700 BGE customers in Baltimore County without power at 12:55 p.m., BGE reported.

According to the utility provider, most customers will have service restored by Thursday night, but some outages could carry into Friday because of extensive tree damage that must be cleared.

Before the storm hit, BGE said it increased staffing, particularly for its tree crews. Trees cause 30 percent of outages for customers each year, according to BGE.

Parts of Baltimore County had been placed under a severe thunderstorm warning Wednesday as a series of storms with heavy rain and strong winds whipped through.

Radar detected storms with 60 mph gusts on a line from near Gamber to Owings Mills to Woodlawn, the National Weather Service reported at approximately 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.

A hole is left in the side of an apartment building in Owings Mills off Reisterstown Road, and a nearby tree was uprooted in the storm.

Eight roads were closed by the storm in Baltimore County, many because of downed trees, and officials were working to reopen them Thursday, county government spokesman T.J. Smith said.

Trees got tangled up with power lines on Garrison Forest Road south of Caves Road as well as Greenspring Avenue at Kelly Avenue, according to Smith, who advised drivers to use caution.

Reisterstown Road was closed at Hooks Lane due to the weather, state transportation officials said.

Did you have storm damage? Share your pictures in the comments.

For the latest information on outages, check the BGE outage map.

How to report outages:

• Call BGE at 1-877-778-2222.
• Report outages online at www.bge.com.
• Use the BGE Mobile App.
• Send a text message to MyBGE (69243) with outage information.

If there are wires down, call 1-800-685-0123.