Sandy impact biggest in Fauquier, Westmoreland

The so-called superstorm Sandy spent most of her destructive power for the northern parts of the East Coast, sparing the Fredericksburg region for the most part.

The storm dumped more than 5 inches of rain in the area on Monday, according to the University of Mary Washington Weather Station. Wind gusts topped out at 43 mph. It will continue to rain today, but less than an inch is expected. Expect it to stay a bit windy as well, but the biggest part of the storm is gone.

While impacts in the area were minimal, thousands still lost power and many of them remain in the dark.

As of Tuesday morning, there were several thousand power outages caused by the heavy rains and wind gusts, with most of those affected in Fauquier (8,083 total) and Westmoreland (4,571) counties.

Road impacts in the area were relatively minimal. Tuesday morning, Fauquier had the most closed roads in the region with 40 blocked by felled trees or power lines. Eighteen roads in Culpeper were closed, 12 in Stafford, 10 in Orange and there remains a high wind advisory for the Route 301 Harry Nice Bridge in King George.

The Virginia Department of Transportation reported this morning that more than 280 roads, mostly secondary, were closed because of the storm. All major primary roads and interstates are open.

The Virginia State Police reported early this morning that troopers responded to 2,549 traffic crashes and disabled vehicles, and received a total of 4,605 calls for service.

“At the height of the storm, state police got 155 calls an hour,” spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a release.

There were no storm-related deadly crashes, or deaths, reported in the Fredericksburg area.

According to the Associated Press, the storm made landfall in New Jersey with 80-mph winds. At least 17 people were killed in seven states. More than 7.4 million lost power, from the Carolinas to Ohio.

Power Outages by County

• Caroline: 0
• Culpeper: 2,182
• Fauquier: 8,083
• Fredericksburg: 2
• King George: 14
• Louisa: 0
• Orange: 17
• Spotsylvania: 80
• Stafford: 1,970
• Westmoreland: 4,571

Power Company outage links

Dominion Power

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

Northern Neck Electric Cooperative

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative

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