The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for the D.C. area Thursday.
Wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour could make travel treacherous throughout the day and could result in downed trees and power lines, forecasters say.
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County officials compared the dangerous conditions Arlington will experience over the next 24 hours to the heavy winds of the June 29 derecho, which lasted 24 minutes.
Already some power problems and falling trees and power lines have been reported. Dominion reported 423 customers without power in Arlington earlier this afternoon, but power has since been restored to most. Firefighters are currently on the scene of a large tree that fell on to a house on the 2900 block of N. Oxford Street, in the Bellevue Forest neighborhood. The house was unoccupied at the time and nobody was hurt.
The tree pollen level shot up to high today due to the warm and windy conditions.
Local doctors say typically the first couple weeks of April mark the start of heavy allergy season. That increases throughout the month as more trees release pollen spores, which can be seen blanketing the area.
Get ready for some breezy weather tonight. The National Weather Service is predicting 20 to 30 mph sustained winds, with gusts up to 55 mph, starting late this afternoon.
The winds carry the possibility of blowing debris and downed power lines, among other hazards. From Arlington Alerts:
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(Updated at 12:25 p.m.) Tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Irene, combined with a steady, soaking rain, brought down at least 75 trees throughout Arlington last night, completely or partially blocking at least 35 streets, authorities said.
The falling trees blocked main roads, like Columbia Pike and westbound I-66, and knocked out power to various parts of the county. The 100 block of N. Liberty Street, Rock Spring Road and N. Wakefield Street, N. Quantico and N. 18th Street and N. Edison and Little Falls Road all remain blocked this afternoon, according to authorities and residents. County crews with chainsaws are helping to remove fallen trees and tree limbs from the roadway.
A flood watch will take effect at 6:00 tonight as heavy rains move into our area from the southwest.
A steady, soaking, all-day rain and and gusty winds should make for an unpleasant Thursday. Officials are warning anyone who lives in low-lying or flood-prone areas to be “prepared to take action should flood develop.”
Miserable weather led to scattered problems across Arlington last night.
Steady rains caused some localized flooding in parts of the county. Police reportedly had to block off 11th Street at North Kennebec Street last night due to water in the roadway. A big pool of standing water also caused a traffic hazard on the northbound lanes of Glebe Road, just before Wilson Boulevard.
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Numerous reports of downed power lines, toppled trees, dislodged traffic signs and blowing debris are coming in.
Among the reports we’re following right now:
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High winds have blown off part of the roof of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles building at 4150 South Four Mile Run Drive.
Firefighters report that a large section of the building’s metal roof blew off. The building has been evacuated. No injuries are reported.
We took a few photos around Arlington this afternoon, before the really strong winds started blowing. The contrast between the blue skies and the quick-moving rain storms that passed through the area was quite striking.
Forecasters are warning of high winds that will be blowing into our area tomorrow morning and afternoon.
The winds come less than a week after Saturday’s wind storm, which knocked down large trees and power lines.
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(Updated at 4:00 p.m.) A large tree has fallen and damaged a home on the 3800 block of North Vernon Street, in the Old Glebe neighborhood.
The falling tree took utility lines down with it. Dominion Power has shut down power to the lines and has a crew on the scene.