Updated: 12:30 p.m.
Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency in Virginia. McDonnell said in a statement, "This is the largest non-hurricane power outage in Virginia history."
Updated: 11:00 a.m.
NOVEC reported 446 houses near Burwell Road in Nokesville currently without power.
Updated: 10:30 a.m.
The storm may have knocked out cell phone service to some local Verizon and Sprint customers.
The Prince William County Police also reported that 911 service is out in Prince William County and many other Northern Virginia jurisdictions. Anyone experiencing emergencies in Prince William County should contact the non-emergency number: 703-792-6500.
Original Story:
A line of severe storms, which packed winds of up to 80 mph caused extensive damage and widespread power outages throughout Prince William County overnight.
While most Bristow and Nokesville residents emerged relatively unscathed by the storm, with only minor damage reported throughout the Brentsville District, hundreds of homes still remain without power Saturday morning. According to NOVEC, as of 8 a.m., 604 of the remaining outages appear to be in the Braemar community.
According to NOVEC, crews have been assigned and are responding to power outages in the affected neighborhoods. However, no timetable was announced when service would return. Overnight, NOVEC announced on their Facebook page that "power restoration might take all weekend."
NOVEC reports that 14,218 of their customers were without power in Prince William County last night.
As the oppressive heat wave continues Saturday, there is concern throughout Prince William County for those without electricity to run air conditioners. While county officials have not designated any formal emergency shelters, residents are encouraged to find relief from the heat.
The National Weather Service has cancelled the Excessive Heat Watch and issued an Excessive Heat Warning from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Temperatures could reach 100 degrees with a heat index of 110 degrees.
NWS also warns of a "slight risk" of more thunderstorms late this afternoon and early evening; these storms could be capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail.
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