Weather

DEVELOPING: Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued as line of strong storms arrives

By ARLnow.com
Storm arriving on radar as of 5:35 p.m.

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.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Arlington ahead of the line of storms, which forecasters say are packing damaging winds.

Residents are being encouraged to go to their basements or to an interior portion of a sturdy structure, away from windows. The storms have been toppling trees and knocking out power over a large swath of Fairfax County prior to their arrival here.

More from the National Weather Service:

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
543 PM EDT Mon Aug 7 2023

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning…

* Until 645 PM EDT.

* At 543 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from I66 and I495 Interchange to 12 miles west of Stafford, moving east at 50 mph.

HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.

* Locations impacted include… Arlington, Alexandria, Waldorf, Dale City, Bethesda, Bowie, Annandale, Clinton, Springfield, College Park, Fort Washington, Greenbelt, Fairfax, Langley Park, Fort Hunt, Vienna, Groveton, Forestville, Falls Church and Huntington.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for District of Columbia…central and southern Maryland…and northern Virginia.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.

Large hail and damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of nature’s leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

Around Town

Cuban-inspired Colada Shop looking to call Clarendon home by early next year

By Matt Blitz
Colada Shop is opening in Clarendon early next year (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

The Cuban-inspired Colada Shop plans to open a Clarendon outpost early next year.

The Sterling-based Cuban cafe is moving into a 2,200-square-foot space next to Tatte and Seamore’s at the intersection of N. Edgewood Street and Clarendon Blvd. The hope is to open by “early 2024,” per a spokesperson.

This will be the fifth Colada Shop location, including one that opened in the Mosaic District in 2021. The bar space at the Clarendon shop will be what separates it from the other locations, a press release notes.

“The Clarendon store boasts a spacious interior and available seating on the inviting patio. The highlight of this new location is undoubtedly the bar space, which has been thoughtfully designed to create a lively and convivial atmosphere for guests to relax, mingle, and indulge in an array of delectable Cuban-inspired libations,” the release reads.

The exact address is 1440 N. Edgewood Street, Suite 160 and no other Arlington locations are being planned at the moment, a spokesperson told ARLnow.

Colada Shop is known for its coffee, cocktails, and Cuban-style empanadas, croquetas, and sandwiches. The first location opened in Sterling in 2016 before quickly expanding to D.C.

The building that Colada Shop is moving into dates back to 1941 but has been renovated and rebranded in recent years. Along with Tatte, Seamore’s, and now Colada Shop, Life Time fitness center and cafe opened there last month.

Sponsored

Listing of the Day: 2607 Washington Blvd

By ARLnow.com

Address: 2607 Washington Blvd
Neighborhood: Lyon Park
Type: 3 BR, 2 (+1 half) BA single-family detached – 1920 sq. ft.
Listed: $1,274,900

Noteworthy: Beautifully updated brick colonial in the heart of Arlington!

This charming 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home perfectly blends classic character with thoughtful modern updates. The handsome brick exterior and flagstone retaining wall create exceptional curb appeal, enhanced by professional landscaping and private off-street parking for three cars. Inside, wood floors flow throughout both levels, complemented by fresh modern paint and abundant natural light.

The renovated kitchen showcases granite countertops, painted paneled cabinetry with brushed nickel hardware, a marble tile backsplash, pendant lighting, spacious pantry, and stainless steel appliances including a Bosch dishwasher, LG refrigerator, and five-burner gas stove. The adjoining family room features a cozy wood-burning fireplace with brick hearth and wood mantel, plus a sliding glass door leading to a large deck overlooking a fully fenced backyard with lush landscaping and a storage shed.

Upstairs, the expansive primary suite offers a deep walk-in closet, additional custom-organized closet, and a luxurious private bath with double sinks, granite counters, new lighting, and upgraded hardware. Two additional bedrooms with ceiling fans share an updated hall bath featuring a granite vanity, ceramic tile floor, and tub with tile surround.

Additional highlights include a newer Carrier gas furnace, State water heater, LG front-load washer and dryer, central vacuum system, and double-pane windows. Ideally located just blocks to Clarendon Metro and minutes to downtown D.C., the Pentagon, National Landing, and local parks and trails—this home delivers a rare combination of comfort, convenience, and timeless charm.

https://homevisit.view.property/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/public/vtour/display/2355883#!/

Listed by:
Rob Ferguson – RE/MAX Allegiance
[email protected]
(703) 926-6139

Feature

Local startup provides students personalized tools to succeed during online learning

By Hallie LeTendre

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ALRnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Three Ballston Plaza. 

When Covid hit, online learning became the new normal for students across the globe.

Not everyone fared well, however, and some students struggled to stay focused and understand the material, says Arya Rashidian, the CEO of a local online tutoring company, TutorDudes.

The company was founded to combat these downsides to online learning. It offers tools and tutors tailored to individual student needs, such as adding closed captioning and visual cues to lectures for visual learners.

“With this platform, I wanted to create something that isn’t a quick fix, but something that is going to promote real change for online learning,” Rashidian said.

TutorDudes can be used by any type of learner and some students with disabilities, including those with mild autism, Rashidian said. He added that tutors are trained to accommodate different learning styles and in how to improve the online learning experience.

“The company was made so that everyone, regardless of the type of learners that they are can be accommodated by our virtual platform,” he said.

Part of the TutorDudes team, including CEO Arya Rashidian, center (via TutorDudes.com)

Rashidian, who graduated from George Mason University this past May, took on TutorDudes from its original founders.

After taking charge of the startup, he revised the company’s mission, services and structure to improve and expand the brand. Rashidian said that without the help of his team none of their success today would have been possible.

The startup has expanded and now offers enhanced tutoring services through TDULTRA.com, which can be accessed through a TutorDudes account.

Rashidian said he hopes to continue this growth so that universities and schools can also adopt the services TutorDudes provides. To do this, Rashidian said he and his team are looking for investors to fund this brand and technology expansion.

“We want to make this company the best it can be,” Rashidian said.

TutorDudes CEO Arya Rashidian (courtesy photo)
Announcement

Embracing Arlington Arts Launches “Diversity and Cultural Equity” Podcast Series

Cultural equity is consistently cited as a major problem in the arts and theater industry. The recent “Black Lives Matter” protests and calls for theaters to put their “statements of support” into action has focused even more light on this issue. A major impediment to achieving more diversity in this industry is that while all agree that concrete changes must be made, there has been a lack of insight into how and what these changes should entail to garner results.

In order to help theaters achieve their goals of greater cultural equity, Embracing Arlington Arts will be offering an educational project for non-profit arts organizations and other arts professionals throughout Arlington County on developing concrete steps to better serve artists of color — a MUST for the long-term viability of the arts sector.

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Weather

JUST IN: Tornado Watch issued for Arlington amid significant severe weather threat

By ARLnow.com
An ominous storm cloud over Arlington in July 2023 (Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman)

(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.”

Winds in excess of 70 miles per hour are possible.

Wind threat on Aug. 7, 2023 (via National Weather Service)

The Tornado Watch is in effect until 9 p.m.

Arlington Public Schools, meanwhile, is closing facilities early today due to the weather threat. From a School Talk email to families:

Due to forecasted severe weather, Arlington Public Schools will shift to virtual operations today, Aug. 7, at 4 p.m. All APS facilities and programs held after 4 p.m. are canceled unless otherwise stated.

Extracurricular [activities], games, team practices, field trips, adult education classes and programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled this evening. For your safety, we strongly urge the community to stay off the roads between the hours of 4 and 8 p.m.

Federal government and Arlington National Cemetery are also closing early today, at 3 p.m., while Arlington County government offices are closing at 4 p.m.

The expected outbreak follows the storms just over a week ago that toppled trees throughout Arlington and knocked out power to more than 34,000 Dominion customers.

More from the National Weather Service:

…SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION BETWEEN 2 PM AND 10 PM TODAY, INCLUDING THE GREATER BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREAS…

An outbreak of severe storms is expected this afternoon and evening across the greater Baltimore/Washington region, with numerous severe thunderstorms expected. There is a significant threat for damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.

The timing of this outbreak varies with your location. West of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you can expect the storms to arrive between 12 Noon and 3 PM. East of the Blue Ridge Mountains, timing will be from 4 PM to 8 PM. The greater Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Areas can expect the storms to arrive between 5 PM and 7 PM.

Now is the time to review your severe weather safety procedures for the possibility of dangerous weather today. Do not be outdoors when the storms arrive. When you hear thunder, go indoors to a sturdy building or structure. While seeking shelter indoors, go to the lowest floor to an interior room. Stay away from windows. Those in mobile homes or weaker structures should plan ahead of time to shelter in a stronger shelter. Be prepared for extended power outages, and the potential for some roads to be blocked by fallen trees.

For the after-event cleanup, do not go outside until 30 minutes after you hear the last thunder, otherwise you will be still susceptible to lightning strikes. Be aware of downed power lines and unstable branches and trees.

Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, weather.gov, or other media for watches and warnings. If a Severe Thunderstorm Warning or Tornado Warning is issued for your area, move to a place of safety, ideally in an interior room on the lowest level of a sturdy building.

Much of the D.C. area, including Arlington, is under a 4 out of 5 risk of severe weather, a rare designation not seen in the region in more than a decade.

(more…)

Announcement

Drive-thru Food & Toiletry Collection for Arlington Homeless Shelters October 10

By Clarendon Presbyterian Church

Join us at Clarendon Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 10, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for an outdoor drive-thru Food & Toiletry Collection to support our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness.

The Food Drive supports families at Bridges to Independence in Clarendon. They need: Rice, sugar, vegetable oil, boxed cereal, applesauce, juices, pasta sauces, ramen, microwavable meals, instant pancakes, syrup, sealed fruit, breakfast bars, mayo, jam, other dry foods. The Toiletry Drive supports individuals at Residential Program Center on Columbia Pike. They need: Razors (men’s and women’s), toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower curtains, queen bed sheets, deodorant, new men’s underwear (XL, 2XL, 3XL), new women’s underwear, new socks, combs, brushes, shower flip flops, bar soaps.

Go to Drive-thru Food & Toiletry Collection for Arlington Homeless Shelters October 10 Read more
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