Prepare for more rain, and more flooding, the National Weather Service warns.
The NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm watch through 10 p.m. tonight, with a flash flood watch as well from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. due to the excessive amounts of rain the region’s seen recently.
Following days of relentless rain, a series of sinkholes have opened up in front of a condo complex in Rosslyn.
The front driveway and lawn of the Atrium Condominiums, located at 1530 Key Blvd, are now marked by the large pits. Two holes several feet deep have opened up around some of the complex’s front lawn, and another has caused cobblestones to buckle leading up to its driveway in front of the main entrance.
A perilously perched tree has prompted the temporary closure of a playground near East Falls Church.
The severe rain storms of the last few days has caused a “tree-mergency” in Madison Manor Park (6225 12th Street N.).
Flash Flood Watch Remains, Though Rain is Subsiding — Weather watchers warn that a risk of floods remains through this afternoon, but things are set to get steadily dryer as Thursday and Friday get closer. [NWS]
Are Tolls Worth It on Virginia’s HOT Lanes? — A new study shows it’s a bit of a mixed bag for commuters, though anyone hopping on I-66 instead of Route 29 or Route 50 is probably getting their money’s worth. Researchers don’t see those arterial roads as viable alternatives, given the time savings 66 still offers during rush hour. [WTOP]
Keep an eye on the roads — the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Arlington through 6:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday).
The weather service estimates the D.C. region could see up to two inches of rain in total tonight, though storms are supposed to move out of the area quickly.
(Updated at 7:35 p.m.) Friday’s wind storm has taken a toll on Arlington, sending trees toppling onto cars, houses and across roads, and knocking out power to tens of thousands.
As of 7:30 p.m., Dominion reported 14,663 customers without power in Arlington. An hour earlier, it appeared that the numbers were finally dropping, but thanks to continued strong winds it has, in fact, gone up.
High winds are expected to wallop the Washington region tonight through Saturday and officials are asking the public to take precautions.
Wind gusts as strong as 60-70 miles per hour are possible from Friday from 4 a.m. through midnight, forecasters say. Wind gusts over 30 miles per hour are expected generally from tonight into Sunday.
There’s been a lot of clean-up in Arlington following last Thursday’s strong storms that produced a weak tornado.
The National Weather Service says the tornado formed adjacent to the Army Navy Country Club and lasted for six minutes on its 4.5 mile journey through Pentagon City and into Washington, D.C. The F-0 tornado had peak winds of 60-70 miles per hour.
Update at 11:20 p.m. — The National Weather Service confirms that an EF-0 tornado tracked through Arlington and into the District on Thursday.
Earlier: The storms that whipped through Arlington and the D.C. region yesterday brought power outages and damage, and more trees toppled today, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.
Arlington County and some surrounding areas are under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning through 9 p.m. tonight.
The National Weather Service says a storm producing high wind gusts is heading toward the area from the west.
Dominion Virginia Power is reporting 4,245 customers without power in Arlington — almost 5 percent of all customers in the county. Power outages have been reported in Pentagon City, in Courthouse near I-66 and in the Virginia Square area.
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall was evacuated during the storm due to a power outage there. Scanner reports suggest firefighters rescued some customers from stuck elevators. The Pentagon Centre mall was also reported to be without power.
The EWS will be open for vulnerable residents every day from 4:00 p.m.-9:00 a.m., through March 31. Hours may be extended on especially cold days, which happened during last season’s cold snap. The temporary facility at 2049 15th Street N. accommodates up to 74 people and other nearby facilities can be used as overflow during severe weather.
Arlington County funds the EWS and it is operated by the nonprofit Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), under the supervision of the county’s Department of Human Services. It provides homeless residents with facilities for sleeping, eating, showering and doing laundry.
