In a small south Arlington neighborhood wedged between I-395, Glebe Road and Four Mile Run, all hell broke loose when the storms passed through this afternoon.
“It was a tornado, definitely,” said resident Paschal Nash, as she inspected the tree branches scattered throughout her yard. “It started with just light rains, then rains increased but then the winds… you just started hearing [stuff] crashing, like breaking… I watched the tree actually split half because of the lightning.”
Update at 3:45 p.m. — Reports of power outages, trees down and lights on flash around the area. Lights at Clarendon Blvd and Fillmore St and Wilson Blvd and Highland St are flashing.
Update at 4:10 p.m. — The traffic lights at Route 50 and Glebe Road are dark. A wall collapsed in Shirlington as a result of the storm, no injuries. Major backups on South I-395 right now.
Lightning, booming thunder and pouring rain is affecting much of Arlington as storms head into the area from the northwest.
The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the area.
Update at 11:30 p.m. — In Arlington, 8,800+ Dominion customers are still in the dark at this hour. Most are expected to have power by morning.
Arlington was pounded by high winds and heavy rain this afternoon as a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area, turning roads into rivers and knocking out power in several parts of the county.
In case you missed nature’s spectacular light show over DC last night, here’s a shot we captured at the Air Force Memorial.
The Heat Returns — After a stormy but cooler start to the week, the sun and the heat are back. And for good measure, the rains of the past two days have left us with plenty of humidity. See the forecast from weather.com, which — in a non-Arlington-related aside — is in the midst of yet another baffling redesign.
Slapsticon Returns — Slapsticon, the vintage comedy film festival, is returning to Arlington with a full slate of films from the silent and early sound eras. The four-day festival, held at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theater, kicks off at 1:00 this afternoon. The highlight of the festival will come on Saturday, when The Thief Catcher, a lost Charlie Chaplin film that was recently found at an antiques sale in Michigan, re-premieres on the big screen.
Photo of a Gold’s Gym step aerobics class being held outside during the power outage courtesy Matthew Henneman.
More than 3,600 Dominion customers are without power in the Clarendon area this evening. Police are reporting that numerous traffic lights are dark on Wilson, Clarendon and Washington Boulevards, causing traffic tie-ups in the area.
Tomorrow, as temperatures again climb toward the triple digit mark, the water will be shut off at Hayes Park, on North Lincoln Street near Clarendon. On Thursday, the county’s third spray park — Lyon Village Park — will go dry.
“Our FY2011 budget cuts included closing each spray park one day a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day,” Parks Department spokesperson Susan Kalish said in an email. “The good news is that there are at least two spraygrounds open in the County on any given day.”
Near Misses for DCA-Bound Planes — An alarming number of close calls have been occurring in the skies over Washington. According to the Washington Post’s Ashley Halsey III, who knows a thing or two about aircraft accidents, there have been several recent near-misses involving planes on approach to Reagan National Airport. Inexperienced air traffic controllers may be part of the problem, Halsey reports.
Hot Hot Heat — Expect temperatures to touch or surpass 100 degrees today, as a dangerous heatwave envelops the east coast. A heat advisory will be in effect from noon today to 11:00 Wednesday night. With the high humidity, it could feel as hot as 110 degrees. Such temperatures could be deadly, especially for young children and the elderly.
It’s July — After the hottest June on record in DC, we have finally reached the temperate month of July.
Virginia/WMATA Deal Imminent? — The Metro board of directors is holding an emergency phone meeting this morning to approve a last-minute funding deal with Virginia’s state government. Two weeks ago Gov. Bob McDonnell threatened to withhold $50 million in funding for the agency unless the state could get two seats on the Metro board. More from the Washington Examiner.
Update at 3:45 p.m. — Traffic has reopened on Route 50.
A strong thunderstorm brought high winds, stinging rain and booming thunder to Arlington and the much of the Washington metro area this afternoon.
A large swath of South Arlington was without power tonight after strong storms swept through the area and damaged a power substation in Alexandria.
Throughout Shirlington and all along Columbia Pike, homes, apartment buildings and traffic lights went dark. Police, swamped with calls, were largely unable to direct traffic, even at busy intersections.
