(Updated at noon) Air quality measurements have exceeded Code Red levels in the D.C. area, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
It’s no surprise to anyone who can see and smell the smoke outside. The thick haze has been wafting into the region from the north, amid severe wildfires in Canada.
Updated at 9:45 a.m. — The Code Orange alert has been changed to a Code Red alert.
Wednesday is forecast to be a “Code Orange” day in Arlington and across the D.C. area.
We’re now into the back third of meteorological spring and it’s feeling more like… the beginning?
It has been a notably cool (and wet) end to April and start of May, right around when one might have been expecting some warmer weather to move in.
Just over 5,000 Dominion customers were without power Saturday afternoon, according to the power company’s website.
The large outage, centered around Columbia Pike but running from Douglas Park in the south to Lyon Park in the north, is the result of storm damage, Dominion said. A line of thunderstorms with gusty winds and heavy rain rolled through Arlington prior to the outage.
Updated at 9:40 a.m. — The earlier watch has been upgraded to a Red Flag Warning. From the National Weather Service:
…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR VIRGINIA, SOUTHERN MARYLAND, AND EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE…
Protect those sensitive plants and that outdoor plumbing now — the potential for freezing overnight temperatures has prompted a Freeze Warning for Arlington and other parts of the D.C. area.
More from the National Weather Service:
A strong storm is approaching Arlington from the west, prompting a Severe Thunderstorm Warning — the first of the year.
From the National Weather Service:
Arlington and much of the D.C. area is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
The watch is in effect until 10 p.m.
(Updated at 9:15 a.m.) Batten down the hatches, it’s going to get pretty windy Saturday.
The National Weather Service has upgraded the earlier High Wind Watch for Arlington to a High Wind Warning, in effect Saturday from noon to midnight.
Arlington County and surrounding areas, including D.C., are currently under a Wind Advisory.
Gusty winds are expected to persist throughout the day an into the overnight hours Wednesday. With gusts of up to 50 mph, downed trees and power outages are possible.
Springtime is upon us and that means more frequent severe weather outbreaks.
To prepare residents, the Commonwealth of Virginia is holding its annual statewide tornado drill today at 9:45 a.m. A test alert will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System, but should not trigger mobile phone alerts.
Arlington County is under a Wind Advisory for much of the day on Saturday.
Rain showers will give way to fog tonight (Friday) before the clouds clear Saturday and the wind starts blowing. Gusts of up to 50 mph are expected.
