Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy  announced yesterday that July 4 thunderstorms temporarily interrupted service for 49,000 customers. Restoration efforts focused on the hardest hit areas of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Prince George's Counties. In particular, Bowie in Prince George's County and other heavily wooded areas, where falling trees can severely damage utility poles and power lines, were affected. Crews had restored service to most of the customers affected by these storms, and restoration efforts continued into the afternoon. More afternoon thunderstorms were forecast, and BGE crews were mobilized and ready to respond safely and rapidly to affected areas.

The Independence Day storms were fierce in places, producing heavy rainfall and intense lightning. As of 11 a.m., approximately 1500 customers were still out of service in Anne Arundel County, 2600 in Baltimore City and 1200 in Prince George's County.

"Our crews worked throughout the holiday yesterday and made great progress, and we restored power for most of our customers by this morning," said Mark P. Huston, vice president of electric transmission and distribution for BGE. "This summertime pattern of sweltering afternoon heat produces thunderstorms that can be very severe and dangerous, and customers must recognize these storms can cause intense damage in a very brief period of time. It's a constant challenge, particularly in areas that are heavily wooded, but we're prepared and ready."

Most of the outages that have been occurring since last weekend have been caused by tree limbs as well as whole trees coming down on power lines. There have also been cases of saturated ground conditions flooding underground electric cables resulting in power outages.