About 38,900 Baltimore Gas and Electric Company customers are without power Monday morning after strong winds knocked down trees and power lines across the region Sunday.

The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts as strong as 59 mph Sunday in the Baltimore area. The resulting debris will have to be cleaned up in some places before crews can fully restore power.

BGE power outages

The BGE outage map shows 14,724 customers without power in Baltimore County, 5,838 in Anne Arundel County and 5,278 in Baltimore City. Carroll, Harford and Howard counties are also dealing with outages.

“Strong damaging winds with widespread gusts today have damaged electric equipment throughout BGE’s service area,” BGE said in a statement. “Damage includes downed wires, broken poles, downed trees, limbs and other debris.”

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BGE said Sunday that it has increased staffing to help restore power.

The estimated time needed to restore power varies based on where outage is. Some estimates on the outage map list Wednesday evening — when snow is forecast — as when power will be restored.

However, power had already been restored to about 80,000 customers as of Monday morning, meaning those estimates could be conservative.

“This is a labor- and time-intensive process which can extend the duration of certain outages,” BGE said. “The safety of BGE employees, contractors, and customers is our first priority. Certain types of work, such as repairs requiring the use of bucket trucks, cannot be safely performed during high winds. In that case, BGE will begin restoring service as soon as it is safe to do so.”

In the 3600 block of Wabash Avenue in Baltimore, a tree crashed in the middle of the street and blocked traffic.

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“I heard the weather report this morning that there would probably be 50 mph winds, and it could produce something that just happened in front of my door,” a neighbor said. “You never expect it to happen in front of yours. I’m just truly blessed it didn’t get the house.”

A tree crashed onto a house on Rockwood Avenue in Baltimore.

Bay Bridge closed

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge closed briefly in both directions Sunday because of the high-wind warning, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. It was reopened Sunday night.