The sunny start to the day Thursday didn’t last, as strong storms rolled across the Baltimore region in the afternoon, bringing damaging winds and knocking out power.

As of 7 p.m., more than 1,000 outages had been reported on Baltimore Gas and Electric’s online map, affecting thousands of customers. BGE said it was assessing damage from the storm and working to restore power for customers as quickly as possible.

The storm disrupted some Maryland Area Rail Commuter lines due to trees downed across tracks, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. Wind restrictions were put in place across the Bay Bridge.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said severe weather on Thursday could bring damaging winds, large hail and an isolated tornado.

“If you are out and about in the afternoon, just stay alert,” said Kevin Witt of the NWS Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office. “We have a lot of sunshine and humidity to work with, but once things get going, they can get more severe.”

The storms were expected to come in two waves on Thursday, according to Witt. The first wave was from roughly 2-6 p.m., with high levels of heat and humidity that can ignite clusters of showers and storms.

The NWS issued a flood watch for 3-9 p.m. for parts of Baltimore, along with parts of Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

The second wave, which will last until 9 p.m., comes with a cold front producing a line of showers and storms that could be more severe, with the potential for hail, isolated tornadoes and flooding, he said.

Every day starting Friday will see increasingly hot weather, reaching dangerously high temperatures on Monday. A large area of high pressure will cover the region, meaning temperatures in the high 90s and low 100s on Monday and into Tuesday.

The NWS sends alerts out through radio, TV stations and phones, and recommends people actively monitor for weather watches and warnings.