Arlington County and the rest of the D.C. area is under a High Wind Watch from Thursday night to late Friday night.
Forecasters say damaging winds are likely on Friday and widespread power outages are possible. It may be “one of the strongest wind storms in at least three years,” according to the National Weather Service.
More from NWS:
…HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WATCH, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. * TIMING…OVERNIGHT THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. * WINDS…NORTHWEST 25 TO 40 MPH WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH. * IMPACTS…DAMAGING WINDS WILL BLOW DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. TRAVEL WILL BE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A HIGH WIND WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH, OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR STRONGER MAY OCCUR. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. &&
A High Wind Watch is in effect from Thursday evening through late Friday night for our entire area. Northwest winds of 25-40 mph with the potential for wind gusts ~60 mph. Info: https://t.co/5O6zddGI7k #DCwx #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx pic.twitter.com/BcJoLi0jYI
— NWS DC/Baltimore (@NWS_BaltWash) February 28, 2018
The peak gusts forecast by this model (NAM) for DC on Friday-Saturday may be on the high side of estimates but give a sense of what we might be dealing with. Good idea to secure/bring inside loose outdoor objects. More info: https://t.co/GezNnvMAHc pic.twitter.com/yQNZRxTwMX
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) February 28, 2018
Friends– please keep an eye on this. Strong winds can bring down trees & branches as well as power lines. Add a day of rain ahead of time and our road debris chances increase. https://t.co/IcIuOX4SjM
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) February 28, 2018
Flickr pool photo by Lisa Novak