The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Arlington and the surrounding region.
A line of strong storms is approaching the area from the north. From the NWS:
storm
Arlington and the surrounding D.C. region is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
The National Weather Service issued the watch just after 2:45 p.m. It expires at 10:00 p.m.
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All storm warnings and watches have been cancelled in Arlington, but more than a thousand Dominion customers are without power.
A line of storms with strong, gusty winds made a mad dash across the county this afternoon, downing some trees and utility lines but not packing quite the punch that many feared.
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(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Arlington and the rest of the metro area until 4:30 p.m. This is the same system that has prompted tornado warnings in nearby counties. From NWS:
.DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT
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(Updated at 11:05 p.m.) All lanes of Route 110 have reopened after being closed for more than an hour due to high standing water near the Memorial Bridge underpass.
Four vehicles were reported to be stranded as a result of the high water, which was as deep as two feet. Six people were rescued from their vehicles by firefighters, who managed to drive their fire engine up to the stranded vehicles. All occupants are safe and accounted for.
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The storm has been dumping rain on the region all day, and even heavier rains and stronger wind gusts are expected during the evening commute.
Tonight’s outdoor showing of “Risky Business” in Rosslyn has been cancelled due to the weather. Meanwhile, the soaking rains and wind might be responsible for knocking down power lines along N. Pershing Drive in the Ashton Heights area. Pershing is currently closed between Lincoln and Monroe Streets while police and firefighters wait for Dominion Power crews to repair the lines.
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Update at 7:25 p.m. — The National Weather Service has also issued a Flash Flood Warning.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
Arlington County and the surrounding area is currently under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.
From the National Weather Service:
A messy evening commute is possible, with rain and strong storms heading toward Arlington.
The National Weather Service warns that the storms may include heavy rain and hail.
911 Outage Report Released — A report regarding Northern Virginia’s 911 outage following last summer’s derecho storm calls on Verizon to provide an audit of its entire 911 infrastructure. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Board of Directors approved the report, which found that the outage was caused by the loss of commercial power and the subsequent failure of one of the two backup generators in each of Verizon’s Arlington and Fairfax central offices. Improper maintenance and incident response also reportedly contributed to the outage. [MWCOG]
Arlington Third Healthiest County in Virginia — A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin researchers indicates that Arlington is the third healthiest county in the state. Coming in first is Fairfax County, followed by Loudoun County. The study examined data from nearly every county in the nation. Overall, Northern Virginia counties fared better than those in the southern parts of the state. [WTOP]
While northern and western parts of the county have some slushy snow cover (see photo of I-66 and Glebe Road, left), many points south and east have nary a sign of the white stuff.
Arlington County says roads are currently passable, but crews are prepared for the possibility of additional snowfall this afternoon. From a press release:
The federal government and Arlington Public Schools are both closed today due to the “Snowquester” or “Saturn” snow storm.
Although the ground in parts of Arlington has yet to become snow-covered, forecasters say the storm is intensifying and should soon start accumulating here.