Mike wrote:
Someone has already mentioned blown capacitors.
Whenever severe weather comes through the area,
all the HVAC and refrigeration repair techs are
running around like ants to replace all the blown
Chinese made start and run capacitors.

It was just beginning to storm when the problem started last night. I
called around and found a service tech who will come out to diagonose
the problem for $50. Having no experience with capacitors (and
understanding the dangers of them discharging even when disconnected
from a power source) I'm fine with letting a pro take a look at it.
Hopefully it's just the capacitor and a relatively inexpensive
repair.

No danger. AC capacitors do not store charges.