DCist has received reports of widespread sporadic power outages around the Clarendon and Courthouse areas of Arlington. As of 12:07, Dominion reported that nearly 4,000 customers in Northern Virginia were without power — a figure that has ranged from 2,000 to more than 8,000 at periods throughout the morning. The Post’s food critic Tom Sietsema cut short his weekly online chat this morning with the news that washingtonpost.com had lost power at its Arlington office. However, the noontime washingtonpost.com Live Online discussions are proceeding as scheduled.

So, what could it be? Power overload as thousands of air conditioners kick in for the first time of the season? Did workers at one of Clarendon’s many new condos now under construction accidentally cut a supply line? Leave your observations, tips and explanations in the comments section below.