NWS Issues Tornado Watch

Update at 12:40 p.m. — The tornado watch has been canceled.

Update at 12:30 p.m. — The cold front passed relatively quietly through Arlington, mostly producing light rain. Our tornado danger appears to be over.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for the Arlington County and the D.C. region through 5:00 p.m.

The watch signifies a slight chance of tornadoes from a cold front that will be moving through the area in the early afternoon. Thunderstorms and damaging winds are also possible with the front. From NWS:

THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA…THE INTERSTATE 95 CORRIDOR AND POINTS EAST. RESIDENTS SHOULD MONITOR THIS SITUATION VERY CLOSELY AND ENSURE YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIOS ARE SET TO ALERT MODE. SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS MAY BECOME NECESSARY. HERE ARE SOME SAFETY RULES TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED OR IS OCCURRING.

IF A WARNING IS ISSUED…SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE OR GREATER HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE.

TORNADOES OFTEN FORM VERY RAPIDLY FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. IF YOU ARE IN A TORNADO WATCH…AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA…MONITOR LOCAL CONDITIONS CLOSELY AND BE READY TO TAKE QUICK ACTION TO SAVE YOUR LIFE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO…COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST ON THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER EVENT. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION…CAN BE FOUND AT WEATHER.GOV/WASHINGTON OR WEATHER.GOV/BALTIMORE.