The Virginia Department of Transportation will close the I-95 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes overnight starting on Wednesday, August 1 and Thursday, August 2, from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m., and again on Friday, August 3 from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m., for traffic shifts.

Wednesday night August 1, and Thursday night, August 2, the I-95 HOV lanes will be closed from Exit 152, Dumfries Road (Route 234) to Exit 169, Franconia Road /Keene Mill Road (Route 644) from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Friday night, August 3, this closure will be in place from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m.

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Another round of violent storms swept through the region late Thursday into early Friday morning causing more power outages.

At 5 a.m. Friday, 66 Dominion Virginia Power customers who live near Leesylsvania State Park in Woodbridge and four who live in the Brooke section of Stafford County, were without power. Eight Northern Virginia Electric Power customers in Prince William County were also without power.

Today, a flash flood watch is posted from noon today through this evening as more storms could bring heavy downpours and localized flooding, according to the National Weather Service. The showers and thunderstorms are expected between 1 and 11 p.m.

Tomorrow, they’ll be a break in the recent heat wave as temperatures should reach 79 degrees, with showers and thunderstorms still in the forecast.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Fire officials remind condominium owners and apartment renters in Prince William County there are restrictions on grilling on balconies.

The reminder comes after a massive blaze displaced about 100 people and destroyed 24 homes at Woodbridge Station Apartments on Thursday. No one was injured and the American Red Cross was called to the scene to assist the displaced residents.

The fire was linked to the use of a propane grill. 

Charcoal, gas, or propane grills are not allowed to be used on or under balconies, according to an existing county ordinance. Electric grills are allowed but they should still be used with caution, said Prince William fire and rescue spokeswoman Kim Hylander.

Anyone charged with violating the ordinance is required to appear in court, and can be fined up to $2,500 and face one year of jail.

Prince William Woodbridge District Supervisor noted in a statement on Friday that everyone who was impacted by the fire did have renters insurance, which he says will help the families rebuild their lives.

It could get windy and stormy around here tonight as we’re in for another day of hot and humid temperatures.

Virginia could face some strong winds this afternoon as a cold front moving in from the west could bring severe thunderstorms and hail. Some of the storms could produce localized corridors of higher winds, according to the National Weather Service Strom Prediction Center.

Dominion Virginia Power on Twitter this morning stated they are closely watching the area of developing storms, urged residents to prepare, and asked them to call 866-366-4357 if you lose power.

The high temperature is once again today set in the upper 90s with heat index values about 105 degrees. You’ll remember the derecho storm on June 29 that brought high winds following a day of similar heat. That storm brought power outages to hundreds of thousands of residents in the region, and misery as storm victims sweated it out in the sweltering heat waiting for power to be restored. 

The cold front, however, will usher in relatively cooler temperatures, as Monday’s highs are forecast in the 80s. Showers and thunderstorms will also be possible on Monday.

It’s hot outside today, ridiculously so. It’s hot enough for the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning. And the air quality is so poor that a Code Red ozone alert is place today from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

At noon today, the temperature at Aquia Harbour in North Stafford was 98 degrees. In Woodbridge, the mercury was set at 97 degrees, according to the weather service. 

The bottom line: don’t go outside if you don’t have to, as exposure to this kind of heat – with temperatures topping the century mark some places, and heat index values making it feel like 110 degrees outside – can cause heat exhaustion.

The heat will remain with us all weekend as temps are forecast near 100 degrees Sunday and heat index values of about 106, but there is relief in sight for Monday. Temperatures are expected to fall back into the 80s by then.

 FIRST ON POTOMACLOCAL.COM 

KING GEORGE, Va. — Rescue crews pulled five people from the Potomac River early Saturday.

A boat with five onboard stalled in the middle of the Potomac River just after midnight. Three of the five occupants onboard decided to swim to shore to get help, but about 1,000 yards from the shoreline the swimmers determined they couldn’t make it to shore and 911 was called, said Prince William fire and rescue Battalion Chief Curtis Brodie.

Initially, the callers reported he was near Tims Rivershore restaurant in Dumfries. Rescue crews from Prince William County, Charles County, Md., and a police helicopter from Fairfax County, were dispatched to the area near Tims Rivershore.

But the caller soon determined his boat stalled near Tims II – Tim Rivershore restaurant’s second location in King George County.

“Once we got the word, the helicopters and rescue crews immediately diverted to Tims II where we found the boat,” said Brodie.

Rescue crews pulled three from the water and two from the boat. No one was injured.

Boating is popular on the Potomac River, but if a boat stalls out it’s important to use a map to determine your exact location, remain on the boat, and then use a cell phone to call for help.

“If your ship is not sinking, and it’s not a life-or-death situation, remain on the boat and call for help. They may send a tow boat to come rescue you,” said Brodie.

TRIANGLE, Va. — Everyone in the Potomac Communities who lost power after June 29’s derecho storm is back online.

An interactive map from Domnion Virginia Power shows no storm-related outages in our area today. Thursday afternoon, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative announced it had also restored all power to those who lost it in last week’s powerful storm.

A Dominion dispatch order shows work crews today will still be on the job restoring power in portions of Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Fauquier, and Loudoun counties in Northern Virginia.

Hampering their work early Thursday morning was another powerful storm that knocked out power to the Dumfries, Triangle, and Quantico areas. Blowing through the Potomac Communities about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, the storm took down trees and power lines at homes on Old Triangle Road, and knocked out to power to homes on Quantico Marine Corps Base.

A base spokesman Thursday said cooling shelters were set up on the base to accommodate those without power.

HEAT WATCH

While the lights have come back on, the sun is unrelenting. Another excessive heat advisory is in effect today until 8 p.m. Temperatures will range between 100 and 105 degrees, and the heat index could make it feel like it’s hotter than that.

On Saturday, temperatures could feel like 100 outside, states the National Weather Service. It’ll remain hot with on Sunday, but relief will come Monday with temperatures in the mid 80s.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Emergency call centers in Prince William County are working again after a disruption in 911 service following Friday’s storm.

The storm knocked out 911 and cell service for much of the day Saturday. But it’s the lack of 911 service that has Prince William County officials calling for an investigation into what went wrong.

Verizon, the company responsible for providing 911 service in the, on Sunday blamed the failure on one of it’s facilities in Arlington. But in a press release Tuesday the company states it’s hard to identify just one weakest link in the chain that led to the failure.

“Verizon recognizes the critical public safety nature of 911 services, and we regret that some customers may have been without access to 911 this past weekend,” said Verizon Vice President of Engineering Mike Daigle. “Our 911 network is designed so that there is no one single point of failure anywhere in the network that can interrupt 911 service. Unfortunately, the nature and severity of this particular storm damaged multiple Verizon facilities inside and outside of offices in the affected area, and that’s what led to the weekend’s 911 issues.”

The failures were described as catastrophic, with public officials urging those with emergencies who could not get through to 911 to flag down first responders, to go to the nearest public safety center, or directly to a hospital.

Officials said this is the second time in as many years the 911 system failed. During a snow storm last year, officials said the emergency phone system went down.

“While we appreciate the efforts Verizon made to get the system back up and running, all efforts should be made to ensure that the critical 911 system does not fail in the future,” said Prince William Board of Supervisors Chairman At-large Corey A. Stewart. “We expect Verizon to conduct a full investigation into how the 911 service failed and offer solutions to better secure the system. It is imperative that residents of Prince William County and the entire Washington Metro area never have to face such emergencies without the critical 911 service that can be the difference between life and death for those in need.”

Stewart said he hopes other counties in the area will join with Prince William in calling for an investigation into the failure. Fairfax County officials have also called for an investigation into the 911 failure.

There are 2,534 Dominion Virginia Power customers without power in Prince William County as of 9:40 a.m. Tuesday.

There are 4,166 Dominion customers without power in Stafford County as of the same time Tuesday.

The utility just posted what neighborhoods you can expect to see power restoration crews today.

This comes as Stafford County set up a temporary cooling shelter for residents.