storm

“It was a Tornado, Definitely”

By ARLnow.com

In a small south Arlington neighborhood wedged between I-395, Glebe Road and Four Mile Run, all hell broke loose when the storms passed through this afternoon.

“It was a tornado, definitely,” said resident Paschal Nash, as she inspected the tree branches scattered throughout her yard. “It started with just light rains, then rains increased but then the winds… you just started hearing [stuff] crashing, like breaking… I watched the tree actually split half because of the lightning.”

Down the street, near the corner of South Four Mile Run Drive and South Cleveland Street, a large oak tree fell and came crashing through the house of one of Nash’s neighbors. The house will likely be condemned, said a county employee on the scene.

“You heard [the wind] pick up, like you can actually here it drag something… I had never heard that before… it was definitely a mini tornado, no way in hell it was anything else,” Nash said.

Down the street, there was another large tree uprooted. It crushed a fence as it came crashing down across two front yards.

A man across the street said his mother lived in the house, but wasn’t at home at the time. He said he couldn’t see much because of the downpour, but afterwards he saw the extent of the damage.

“Everything just came down,” he said.

So far, the National Weather Service has not indicated that the storm that ripped through Arlington displayed the characteristics of a tornado.

Severe Thunderstorm Updates

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:45 p.m. — Reports of power outages, trees down and lights on flash around the area. Lights at Clarendon Blvd and Fillmore St and Wilson Blvd and Highland St are flashing.

Update at 4:10 p.m. — The traffic lights at Route 50 and Glebe Road are dark. A wall collapsed in Shirlington as a result of the storm, no injuries. Major backups on South I-395 right now.

Update at 4:15 p.m. — Traffic lights dark at South Joyce St and Army Navy Drive, and on Columbia Pike up to South Scott St. Accident reported at Wilson Blvd and Patrick Henry Drive. Tree down on car on GW Parkway near Marina Drive, two people trapped. Major backups reported on southbound GW Parkway.

Update at 4:20 p.m. — About 11,500 Dominion customers are without power in Arlington. Several county government offices are without power.

Update at 4:40 p.m. — Power flickering on the eastern end of Columbia Pike. Power pole sparking at 10th and Wilson Blvd in Clarendon (h/t @NewsCat_in_DC)

Update at 4:50 p.m. — Lots of trees and wires down reported in the Shirlington area. Tree down on wires at S. Randolph Street and 19th Street.

Firefighters are freeing people from elevators that became stuck as a result of power outages.

Heavy traffic reported on GW Parkway, I-395 and Route 1. Most VDOT traffic cameras in the area are down.

Update at 4:55 p.m. — I-395 is “a parking lot,” avoid at all costs. A county employee is reported to have fell and broke his leg at the county impound lot — possibly storm-related.

Update at 5:00 p.m. — More storms approaching from the west, not as severe as the previous batch (h/t @capitalweather).

NBC4 is reporting a 66 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in Arlington during the storm. NBC4’s Veronica Johnson says the storm cell that moved through Arlington might have produced a tornado in Prince George’s County.

Update at 5:10 p.m. — More than 10,500 Dominion customers still without power.

We’re hearing that both victims in the vehicle that was struck by a tree on the GW Parkway have been extricated from the vehicle. They may not have been trapped, but rescuers were worried about the consequences if they tried to get out before the tree was secured.

Update at 5:25 p.m. — Arlington County’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated. Power outages in Arlington back above 11,500. Heavy damage, including multiple trees down reported at 32nd Street and Stafford Street in Fairlington.

Update at 5:45 p.m. — Extremely heavy traffic throughout the area, including on secondary roads. South Eads Street, Ridge Road, Crystal Drive, eastern end of Columbia Pike all heavy. Parking lot on Route 1. Major delays reported on Blue, Yellow lines.

Update at 5:50 p.m. — Large tree fell onto house on the 2700 block of South Cleveland Street, police report. Structural damage suspected.

Update at 5:55 p.m. — Calling it right now: worst region-wide traffic since the ice storm two years ago.

Update at 6:05 p.m. — The northbound GW Parkway has reopened, but the southbound lanes will remain closed for “a few hours,” Park Police spokesperson tells WTOP.

Update at 6:55 p.m. — More than 12,000 Dominion customers are still without power in Arlington.

Update at 7:10 p.m. — All of Shirlington Village appears to be without power.

Update at 7:25 p.m. — Various news outlets report very heavy damage in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. Close to areas reporting heavy damage in south Arlington.

Update at 8:40 p.m. — There are still calls coming in for people stuck in elevators. Not clear if they’re storm-related. Traffic still slow on southbound I-395 near Shirlington.

Update at 8:55 p.m. — More than 11,500 still without power.

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Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued

By ARLnow.com

Lightning, booming thunder and pouring rain is affecting much of Arlington as storms head into the area from the northwest.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the area.

Update at 2:20 p.m. — We’re hearing a tree is down at North Quebec Street and Lorcom Lane.

Power Outage Update

By ARLnow.com

Power has been restored to about 8,300 of the 8,800+ Dominion customers who were without power last night. Most of the larger outages have been taken care of, leaving numerous smaller outages scattered throughout the county.

Severe Thunderstorm Rolls Through Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:30 p.m. — In Arlington, 8,800+ Dominion customers are still in the dark at this hour. Most are expected to have power by morning.

Arlington was pounded by high winds and heavy rain this afternoon as a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area, turning roads into rivers and knocking out power in several parts of the county.

As of 4:45, more than 8,400 Dominion customers were without power in Arlington. A single, widespread outage is affecting the area around Arlington Ridge Road and the eastern end of Columbia Pike.

Arlington appears to have been spared the worst of the storm’s wrath, however. In the City of Alexandria, nearly twice as many homes lost power. And in the District, authorities were reporting numerous instances of trees down and rescues in progress.

Strong Storm Rolls Through Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:45 p.m. — Traffic has reopened on Route 50.

A strong thunderstorm brought high winds, stinging rain and booming thunder to Arlington and the much of the Washington metro area this afternoon.

At least eight cases of downed trees, branches and utility wires have been reported. More than 5,700 Dominion customers were without power immediately after the storm.

The following damage has been reported:

  • On Route 50, traffic was blocked in both directions at Montague Street after power lines fell across the road.
  • The ramp from I-395 to Shirlington was flooded.
  • The traffic light at Wilson Boulevard and Patrick Henry Drive was dark after power lines were knocked down on nearby North Madison Street.
  • A tree came down at Wilson Boulevard and North McKinley Road, knocking out power to the neighborhood.

Here’s some video from the height of the storm in South Arlington.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:45 p.m. — Warning extended to 3:30.

Update at 2:00 p.m. — A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Arlington County until 2:45.

From Arlington Alert:

National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the entire Metro region, including Arlington County until 8:00 pm this evening.Primary threats include heavy rain, hail and lightning. If you are outside and the storm approaches, seek shelter indoors.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

“Looks Like a Supercell” — Yesterday’s storms produced some very interesting cloud formations, which Flickr pooler Philliefan99 captured beautifully. See our coverage of the extensive power outages caused by the storms here.

Ten Cars Damaged on North Rhodes Street — A driver who police believe was drunk smashed into as many as ten cars early this morning on North Rhodes Street. Around 12:30 a.m., residents reported hearing the sound of a car crash. When police arrived, they found as many as 10 cars with collision damage between Key Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard. Police located a man suspected of being the driver of the striking vehicle a short time later.

Arlington Population Grows In Latest Census Data — Arlington’s population grew by 7,300 people last year, a 3.5 percent increase, according to the latest census data. The rapid growth put Arlington on the list of the top 10 fastest-growing large metro areas in the country. More from the Washington Post.

Students Say Parents Allow Booze-Filled Parties — A panel of Arlington high school students says that some parents are regularly allowing their kids to throw illegal drinking parties. The rationale: hosting parties is better than seeing their kids “sneak off to parties where there is no adult supervision.” More from the Sun Gazette.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99.

Storms Knock Out Power Throughout South Arlington

By ARLnow.com

A large swath of South Arlington was without power tonight after strong storms swept through the area and damaged a power substation in Alexandria.

Throughout Shirlington and all along Columbia Pike, homes, apartment buildings and traffic lights went dark. Police, swamped with calls, were largely unable to direct traffic, even at busy intersections.

As of 10:45 p.m., Dominion reported that 16,180 customers in Arlington were without power. Just before 11:00 p.m., power started coming back online in many areas.

The storms, which hit shortly before dusk, brought heavy rain and gusty winds to the area. WJLA reported that a 55 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in Rosslyn.

In front of Virginia Highlands Park in Pentagon City, the trunk of a tree splintered, sending most of the tree across the road and onto two parked cars. South Hayes Street was closed while crews with chainsaws and a Bobcat front end loader cleared the debris.

Elsewhere in Pentagon City, which escaped the worst of the power outage, large branches littered the sidewalk. On nearby South Joyce Street, in front of the Harris Teeter, a lamp post had come crashing down.

Around Shirlington, neighbors came out of darkened apartment buildings with flashlights to walk their dogs and talk with one another. A block party atmosphere prevailed in some areas.

But others used the power outage as an opportunity to conduct dark deeds.

In Nauck, a group of several men reportedly jumped a man, punched him in the face and stole his wallet.

And Then The Clouds Lifted

By ARLnow.com

A brief thunderstorm that brought torrential rains to the area has knocked out power to more than 1,600 Dominion customers in Arlington.

The storm also knocked out traffic lights on Four Mile Run Drive, George Mason Drive and Wilson Boulevard. Police are directing traffic at a number of intersections, including several in the Courthouse area.

County offices at Courthouse Plaza are currently without power. A county communications system has also been affected by the outages.

Update at 3:40 p.m. — Power has been restored to county offices in Courthouse. A number of traffic lights are still flashing.

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