Arlington and much of the surrounding area is under a severe thunderstorm warning through 7:00 p.m.
Storms capable of torrential rain and damaging winds are quickly approaching Arlington and D.C. from the northwest.
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The storms — and the resulting power outages and surges — apparently played a role in knocking out Barrett Elementary School’s air conditioning. In a letter to parents, Barrett principal Theresa Bratt says that the school’s chiller unit “completely broke down this morning” and is “beyond repair.”
The school has deployed 30 fans to keep classrooms cool while they await the arrival of a temporary rental chiller.
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As of 2:30 a.m., 1,734 Dominion customers were without power in Arlington. The outage was said to be centered in the Courthouse and Clarendon area, along Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards.
In addition to restaurants and commercial offices, the outage also hit county government buildings in Courthouse. Some of the county’s internal computer networks were said to have been knocked offline by the outage. Firefighters responded to the county jail after the emergency generator reportedly failed to start, leaving the facility in the dark.
Arlington and the rest of the region is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch through 10:00 tonight.
Forecasters say today’s scorching temperatures — we’re also under a Heat Advisory through 8:00 p.m. — will help fuel potentially severe storms late this afternoon or early this evening. The scattered storms will accompany a cold front that is heading toward the region from the west.
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Update at 9:05 p.m. — The number of Dominion customers without power in Arlington is now down to 350.
Dominion is reporting that just over 2,500 customers are without power in Arlington after a line of storms raced through the area just after dinner time.
The area is once again under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. Forecasters say storms with large hail and damaging winds are possible.
From the National Weather Service:
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the D.C. area through 6:00 p.m. tonight.
Forecasters say large hail and damaging winds are possible as storm activity starts to pick up in the early afternoon.
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the region through 9:00 tonight.
Forecasters say that thunderstorms with high winds, torrential rains, dangerous lighting and large hail are possible tonight.
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Stay here for live updates as storms make their way through our area tonight.
12:55 p.m. — With the exception of some isolated storminess in North Arlington, it looks like we’ve been spared from the latest batch of severe weather.
A line of storms rolled through Arlington this afternoon, knocking down trees and power lines and generally making a soggy mess of the area’s spring blooms.
As of 7:10 p.m. there were 724 Dominion customers without power in Arlington County. Among the areas where downed trees were reported were N. Dittmar Road in the Old Glebe neighborhood and in the parking lot of an apartment complex at S. Scott Street and Columbia Pike (above).
A line of showers and thunderstorms will be rolling through the area within the hour.
The storms are not expected to be severe, but the rain could make driving treacherous. If you’re not already at work, be cautious and take your time on the road.
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Storms Rip Through Area — A line of strong storms ripped through the area in the pre-dawn hours this morning. Winds in excess of 60 miles per hour were observed as the fast-moving storms passed by around 4:30 a.m. A tornado warning was issued for the region, but Arlington was spared from the worst of the storm damage. Expect showers, gusty winds and colder temperatures for the rest of the morning. [Washington Post]
Tejada Plans Ballston Rally — County board member Walter Tejada kicked off his re-election campaign over the weekend at the Dominion Hills Recreation Center. Tejada lauded the county’s commitments to affordable housing, walkable neighborhoods, and fiscal responsibility. He is now planning a rally in Ballston tomorrow — no word yet on when or where exactly the rally will take place. (Update at 12:20 p.m. — The rally will be held outside the NRECA building at 4301 Wilson Blvd at 6:30 p.m., prior to the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.)