A Flood Watch has been issued for Arlington, as heavy rain and strong storms are possible starting late this afternoon.
The Flood Watch will take effect at 5 p.m. and run through early Tuesday morning. An “anomalous” amount of moisture in the atmosphere may lead to deluges that could cause flooding, forecasters say.
Update at 6:20 p.m. — It appears that Arlington has been spared significant damage, at least from the first wave of storms. While rain and lightning are continuing, few power outages have been reported here so far. Fairfax County saw some bigger impacts, however, with Dominion reporting nearly 15,000 customers without power there. Additional storms are possible later tonight and a Tornado Watch remains in effect until 9 p.m.
Earlier: The storms that you’ve been hearing about all day are almost here.
(Updated at 3 p.m.) A widespread outbreak of severe weather is expected this evening, prompting a Tornado Watch for Arlington and much of the region.
Forecasters say the threats include “damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.”
The impacts from Saturday’s severe storms were so widespread that Arlington County is still assessing damage.
Power has since been restored to the more than 34,000 Dominion customers in the dark after the storms, and the GW Parkway completed its reopening yesterday after crews removed hundreds of fallen and potentially hazardous trees. But other damage to both private and county property is still being addressed in Arlington.
(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) The herculean effort to clean up from Saturday’s storms and restore power to tens of thousands is continuing Monday morning.
The GW Parkway remains closed to most traffic between Spout Run Parkway and the Beltway — and is expected to remain closed until later this week, as crews work to clear a large number of downed trees and branches.
The cleanup from Saturday’s severe storms is continuing into Sunday.
As of 9 a.m., Dominion is reporting 20,394 customers still without power in Arlington. That’s down from more than 34,000 immediately after the storm. Arlington makes up about two thirds of the 31,603 outages Dominion is reporting across Northern Virginia.
Update at 11:20 a.m. on 7/31/23 — The number of outages in Arlington is down to 3,154. The GW Parkway remains closed.
Update at 9 a.m. on 7/30/23 — More than 20,000 Dominion customers are still without power as of Sunday morning.
(Update at 4:40 p.m.) All of Arlington is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.
More such warnings are likely as a line of strong storms approach from the west. Forecasters say the storms are packing very high winds, likely to cause damage and power outages.
A strong storm is approaching Arlington from the west, prompting a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.
Fueled by today’s heat and humidity, the storms are packing potentially damaging winds, torrential rain and lightning. The current warning covers most of Arlington County, except the northernmost portion, through 7:30 p.m.
Thursday’s heat will help to fuel strong storms tonight, forecasters say.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was just issued for Arlington, the District, and other surrounding areas. It’s in effect until 11 p.m.
(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) Arlington, D.C. and other parts of the region are now under both a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and a Flood Watch
The D.C. area is on the southern end of the Severe Thunderstorm Watch area, which runs up the East Coast and includes Philadelphia, New York City, and much of Connecticut. That watch is in effect until 8 p.m.
Updated at 6:35 p.m. — The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been extended to southern portions of the county.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Washington DC, Reagan National Airport VA and Landover MD until 7:15 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/iQQU9OrA6d
