storm

JUST IN: Arlington Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch Today

By ARLnow.com

After last night’s strong storms that knocked out power to more than 5,000 homes and businesses, more stormy weather might be on the way.

The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Arlington and much of the region.

Damaging winds, frequent lightning and hail are possible from storms later today. The was is in effect until 9 p.m.

UPDATED: More Than 5,000 Without Power in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Power outages in Arlington at 6:20 p.m. (via Dominion)

Update at 11:15 p.m. — The number of outages in Arlington is now down to 2,655, according to Dominion.

Update at 9:35 p.m. — About 4,000 Dominion customers are still in the dark in Arlington. Power was restored to more than 1,000 homes and businesses over the past three hours.

Update at 6:20 p.m. — Dominion is reporting 5,015 homes and businesses without power in Arlington, the wake of a strong storm that moved through the area and downed trees and utility lines. Most of the outages are concentrated along Arlington’s northwestern border. There are also extensive outages in the City of Falls Church, according to an outage map.

Earlier: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Arlington.

A strong storm packing damaging winds is heading east in the direction of Arlington, forecasters say. Anyone outside should seek cover.

More from the National Weather Service:

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
512 PM EDT TUE AUG 10 2021

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR… THE CITY OF FAIRFAX IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… ARLINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… NORTHEASTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA…

* UNTIL 600 PM EDT.

* AT 512 PM EDT, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER MERRIFIELD, OR OVER MANTUA, MOVING EAST AT 15 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, ANNANDALE, SPRINGFIELD, FAIRFAX, VIENNA, GROVETON, FALLS CHURCH, HUNTINGTON, MANTUA, PIMMIT HILLS, NATIONAL HARBOR, AMERICAN LEGION BRIDGE, REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT, MCLEAN, ROSSLYN, CRYSTAL CITY, BURKE, OAKTON AND LINCOLNIA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A BUILDING.

Keep an Eye to the Skies Amid Severe Weather Threat Today

By ARLnow.com
Tree down near Bishop O’Connell High School after last night’s storms (photo courtesy Chris Farley)

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) It’s overcast and muggy right now, but it could be stormy later today in Arlington.

A strong storm toppled trees and knocked out power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses last night in parts of Arlington — primarily around the East Falls Church area — and another round of severe weather is possible later this afternoon and evening.

Forecasters are uncertain about the extent to which the storms, which are expected to be most widespread north of the metro area, will extend south into Arlington, D.C. and elsewhere.

“Scattered severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts, large hail and isolated tornadoes are possible late this afternoon and this evening,” the National Weather Service said this afternoon. “Additionally, isolated occurrences of flash flooding are also possible.”

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was just issued for Arlington and surrounding areas, warning of the possibility of frequent lightning, ping-pong-sized hail, and damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph. A Tornado Watch has also been issued for areas to the north and east.

More from NWS:

UPDATE: Power Outages in Arlington After Strong Storm

By ARLnow.com
Power outages after storm, as of 11 p.m. (via Dominion)

Update at 11:05 p.m. — Dominion is currently reporting 2,050 customers without power in Arlington, mostly in northern and western parts of the county. More than 19,500 customers are also without power in Falls Church and Fairfax County after the powerful storm.

Earlier: Arlington County is under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.

A line of strong storms packing gusty winds is moving through the county from north to south. Expect power outages and the possibility of downed trees and power lines.

As of 10:35 p.m., the strongest part of the storm was over parts of western Arlington County including East Falls Church.

Arlington Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch Today

By ARLnow.com

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was just issued for Arlington and parts of the D.C. area.

Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax County are among the Northern Virginia locales under the watch, which is in effect until 8 p.m.

D.C. and points north and east are also included in the watch.

Storms packing damaging winds are possible as a cold front crosses the area, forecasters say. On the positive side, the cold front will bring lower humidity levels and should help clear up some of the wildfire-induced haze that has the Washington region under a Code Orange Air Quality Alert today.

More from the National Weather Service:

 

UPDATED: Arlington Under Flash Flood, Severe Thunderstorm Watches

By ARLnow.com

Update at 1:50 p.m. — In addition to the Flash Flood Watch, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch was just issued for the area. Damaging winds, hail and torrential downpours are possible, forecasters say.

Earlier: Storms packing heavy downpours could cause sudden flooding later today.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for Arlington and much of the region. The watch is in effect starting at 2 p.m. this afternoon, until early morning Sunday.

More from NWS:

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE
SATURDAY NIGHT…

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Flash Flood Watch for portions of DC, Maryland and northern Virginia, including the following areas: in DC, District of Columbia. In Maryland, Anne Arundel, Cecil, Central and Southeast Howard, Central and Southeast Montgomery, Northern Baltimore, Northwest Harford, Prince Georges, Southeast Harford and Southern Baltimore. In northern Virginia, Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria and Fairfax.

* From Saturday afternoon through late Saturday night.

* Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are expected Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening, potentially lingering into early Sunday morning. Localized rainfall amounts of up to 1-2 inches per hour will be possible at times. Total rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches, with locally higher amounts possible.

* Heavy rain in short periods of time will cause the potential for streams and creeks to quickly rise out of their banks as well as the potential for flash flooding in urban areas.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.

Forecasters: Strong Storms Possible This Evening

By ARLnow.com

Some strong storms are possible this afternoon and evening, forecasters say.

The scattered storms could pack damaging winds, potentially downing tree limbs and power lines. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is possible, the National Weather Service says. Arlington is near the western border of the likely watch area.

More from NWS:

BREAKING: NWS Confirms Tornado Ripped Through North Arlington Neighborhoods

By ARLnow.com
1/57

(Updated at 9:30 p.m.) The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado caused the widespread damage seen in several North Arlington neighborhoods today.

The tornado struck around 9 p.m. Thursday night, touching down near the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Glebe Road. It was rated as an EF1 — the second-lowest on the Enhanced Fujita scale — and cut a 125 yard-wide path of damage as it made its way east through several neighborhoods, before moving into D.C. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph.

The twister’s 4.4 mile path ended on the National Mall, between the Washington Monument and the White House. A second tornado, rated EF0, struck near H Street NE in the District, according to forecasters.

Tornado path (via National Weather Service)

In Arlington last night, the tornado uprooted trees, tore siding and shingles off houses, and turned trampolines and branches into projectiles.

Residents tell ARLnow they had just seconds from when their phones started blaring the Tornado Warning, shortly before 9 p.m., and when the rotating storm struck and caused havoc.

Much of the reported damage happened along the well-defined, roughly west-to-east line from the City of Falls Church and through Tara-Leeway Heights, Waverly Hills, Cherrydale and Lyon Village, before crossing the Potomac into D.C. along the National Mall.

Waverly Hills and Cherrydale suffered the worst of the storm’s fury, starting around Woodstock Park and moving along an easterly route just south of Lee Highway. The extent of the damage was evident this morning after the sun came up and chainsaws started buzzing over a large stretch of the neighborhoods.

At Woodstock Park this morning, children were playing despite the tree carnage that littered the park with fallen trees, branches and leaves. Jill Rabach was out surveying the damage to her house, just south of the park. An oak tree was leaning on her home’s roof and her next door neighbor’s fence was crushed by multiple falling trees.

“We heard the Tornado Warning and went to the basement,” Rabach recounted. “About 15 minutes later when all the noise died down we came upstairs and saw a little bit of damage not much. Power was out. By morning it was clear there was much more damage. All the houses on the street lost significant trees.”

“We’ve lived here for 15 years and there haven’t been many storms that blow that hard, that fast,” she added.

The damage continued along 20th Road N., east of the park, with tree crews hard at work clearing branches. Turning right onto N. Utah Street, the road was still blocked by a large fallen tree at 19th Road N.

Heading back up the street, more signs of a violent storm: Multiple downed trees damaged roofs, broke windows and crushed fences; siding from an unknown house lay next to a sidewalk; trash cans were lifted up and blown into neighboring yards. And stuck in a tree near the road was an unusual sight — a large trampoline.

A family in the area said their storm door swung upon so violently it became lodged into and damaged a railing.

“We got the Tornado Warning and within 30 seconds, our front door burst open. And the whole house shook and rattled,” said René Madigan. “Like it all had to have all happened at once. It pulled down all of our power lines… the house next door, it blew their door wide open, too. They have a lot more damage to their home than we have. We were blessed.”

Madigan recounted the sound of the storm as it struck the normally quiet residential neighborhood.

“I heard a horrible sound. Like it was a really horrible sound. And then the whole house just was doing this,” she said, shaking her arms. “And it just happened so fast.”

“Tornado! Get in!” Madigan recalled shouting as the family took cover.

“I heard it and I was in the basement,” Madigan’s husband said of the noise. “First I thought like a big china cabinet fell down. It sounded like… a really loud explosion.”

One street over, and also to the east, residents were out cleaning up. One house had a blue tarp on the roof, but a neighbor said nothing fell on it — shingles were ripped off at the height of the storm.

Over on N. Stafford Street, Jeff Jackson was picking up tree branches across the street from St. Agnes Catholic School in Cherrydale. The Arlington native now lives in Portland, Oregon, but is home taking care of his mother. He was at a friend’s house nearby as the storm approached.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Storm clouds to the west, seen from N. Glebe Road around 8:45 p.m. Thursday night (staff photo)

Power Outage Update — As of 8:45 a.m., Dominion reports 3,149 customers in Arlington still without power after last night’s storms, which may have spawned a tornado. [Twitter]

Workers Threatened During Rosslyn Theft — “At approximately 4:54 a.m. on June 30, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect allegedly entered a work site and attempted to steal equipment. When confronted by workers, the suspect produced a large wooden stick and threatened them. Responding officers located the suspect on scene and he was taken into custody.” [ACPD]

New School Board Leaders Chosen — “Today, the Arlington School Board held its annual organizational meeting for the 2021-22 school year and elected Dr. Barbara Kanninen as Chair and Reid Goldstein as Vice Chair. The terms for the new Chair and Vice Chair begin immediately and will continue until June 30, 2022.” [Arlington Public Schools]

APS Appoints First COO — “The School Board appointed Dr. John Mayo as the first Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Arlington Public Schools at its July 1 organizational meeting. Dr. Mayo currently serves as a Deputy Superintendent for Petersburg City Public Schools in Petersburg, VA. The COO is a new position that is part of the Superintendent’s reorganization, designed to strengthen operations and provide schools, students, teachers and staff with the needed supports and resources.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Arlington GOP Gets Post-Trump Boost — “The Arlington County Republican Committee continues to see a resurgence in membership – driven, perhaps counterintuitively, by the results of the 2020 national election. ‘We’re close to 100 members,’ said Matthew Hurtt, communications chairman… It’s a major increase since the start of the year, and ‘a testament to excitement and enthusiasm that is happening here in Arlington,’ Hurtt said.” [Sun Gazette]

No Fireworks Viewing Access from DCA — From Reagan National Airport: “July 4 fireworks viewing… Due to major construction impacting our roadways and sidewalks, there is no pedestrian access to Gravelly Point and the Mount Vernon Trail from the airport.” [Twitter]

GMU Launching Center on Race — “George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government will launch its new Race, Politics, and Policy Center in Fall 2021 under the leadership of Professor Michael Fauntroy. Fauntroy, who taught at Mason for 11 years before joining the faculty at Howard University in 2013, returned to Mason in June.” [George Mason University]

Clarendon Nightlife Reminder — “As the region continues to emerge from the pandemic and more patrons participate in nightlife activities, Arlington County is reminding the public about designated weekend pick-up and drop-off zones in Clarendon.” [Arlington County]

BREAKING: Widespread Damage After Tornado Warning Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/11

Update at 6 p.m. — A damage path that cut through several Arlington neighborhoods was from an EF1 tornado, as just confirmed by the National Weather Service.

Earlier: The Arlington County Fire Department responded to “multiple calls for service” after a Tornado Warning was issued for parts of the county.

The fire department said shortly after 9 p.m. that it was swamped with calls and was “prioritizing life threatening emergencies.” Among the most serious calls were a man trapped after a tree fell on his house and an overturned vehicle near Columbia Pike.

“Calls for downed trees, stuck elevators and downed power lines are being addressed as units are available,” ACFD said on social media.

The National Weather Service says it will be surveying storm damage in Arlington to determine whether a tornado touched down.

“The National Weather Service will conduct a preliminary, first-look storm survey tonight in Arlington the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County,” NWS said in a statement. “We will perform a preliminary assessment to determine whether wind damage that occurred… was caused by a tornado or straight line winds.”

The final assessment is expected to be released on Friday.

The storm caused widespread damage and power outages in the county, mostly north of Route 50. As of 11:15 p.m., over 11,000 Dominion customers were still without power in Arlington, according to the power company.

Power outages in Arlington as of 10 p.m. (via Dominion)

Among the reported incidents first responders were dispatched to tonight were a tree down on a house with a man trapped on 16th Street N., several blocks from Washington-Liberty High School; an overturned vehicle on Washington Blvd north of Columbia Pike; and a tree on a car on Route 50 and N. Fillmore Street.

The person pinned in the house by the fallen tree has been rescued and brought to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the fire department said. Two other people were reportedly in the house at the time but made it out okay, according to scanner traffic.

Two people were reported to have suffered significant injuries in the crash involving an overturned vehicle on Washington Blvd, near the Columbia Pike exit ramp. The crash happened around the same time as the storm struck. The two injured people were transported via ambulance to a local trauma center.

There were numerous other reports of trees, light poles and utility lines down, including at:

  • N. Kirkwood Road and 13th Street N.
  • Washington Blvd and Route 50
  • N. George Mason Drive and 22nd Street N.
  • N. Utah Street and 20th Street N.
  • N. Buchanan Street and 22nd Road N.
  • N. Upton Street and 20th Road N.
  • Columbia Pike and S. Adams Street
  • McKinley Road and 9th Road N.
  • N. Illinois Street and 22nd Street S.
  • N. Highland Street and Key Blvd
  • 21st Street N. and N. Nottingham Street
  • Spout Run Parkway at Lorcom Lane
  • 1500 block of S. Clark Street

The likely tornado path, based on weather radar and damage reports, would have taken it east from the Falls Church area, to the Waverly Hills neighborhood and the area around Washington-Liberty High School, and finally over into central portions of the District including the National Mall and Nationals Park.

Residents are being encouraged to stay home or take “extreme caution” if out tonight due to the storm damage.

The urgent alerts for the Tornado Warning sounded just before 9 p.m. as a line of strong storms approached. Arlington was also currently under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and a Flash Flood Warning.

The original warning, from the National Weather Service:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING…

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT.

* AT 858 PM EDT, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER BALLSTON, OR OVER ARLINGTON, MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

HAZARD…TORNADO.

SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

IMPACT…FOR THOSE IN THE DIRECT PATH OF A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN, FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT SHELTER. DAMAGE TO ROOFS, SIDING, AND WINDOWS MAY OCCUR. MOBILE HOMES MAY BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. TREE DAMAGE IS LIKELY.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR… CRYSTAL CITY AROUND 905 PM EDT. NATIONALS PARK, REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT, GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY, ANACOSTIA AND US CAPITOL AROUND 910 PM EDT.

Video footage from around the time of the warning shows dark clouds bearing down on the county as very strong winds whip up, and the shadowy outline of what looks somewhat like a funnel cloud.

As of 9:40 p.m., the National Weather Service said the worst of the storms were over, a welcome contrast to the dire warnings earlier.

(more…)

JUST IN: Arlington Now Under Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Warnings

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:15 p.m. — The earlier severe thunderstorm watch and warning have both been cancelled.

Update at 3:40 p.m. — Just over 1,400 Dominion customers in Arlington are without power, according to preliminary numbers from the power company’s website.

Update at 3:30 p.m. — A 58 mph wind gust was recorded at Reagan National Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Some downed trees and power outages are being reported around Arlington as the storm dies down.

Update at 3:20 p.m. — A Flash Flood Warning has been issued amid ongoing heavy rains. From NWS:

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
314 PM EDT THU JUL 1 2021

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR… DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA… ARLINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… EAST CENTRAL FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA…

* UNTIL 615 PM EDT.

* AT 314 PM EDT, DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. BETWEEN 0.5 AND 1 INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA. FLASH FLOODING IS ONGOING OR EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

HAZARD…LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODING. THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING.

SOURCE…RADAR.

IMPACT…LIFE THREATENING FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS, URBAN AREAS, HIGHWAYS, STREETS AND UNDERPASSES.

Update at 2:55 p.m. — Arlington is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. Take cover! 

Update at 12:45 p.m. — A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has now been issued for the region.

Earlier: It’s dry now, but expect rain and storms later this afternoon and evening.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for Arlington and other parts of the region, starting at 2 p.m. and running through Friday morning. Forecasters are also warning that storms may pack damaging winds in addition to downpours.

More from the National Weather Service:

The Flash Flood Watch continues…

* From 2 PM EDT this afternoon through Friday morning.

* Several rounds of thunderstorms are expected this afternoon through early Friday morning with localized rainfall rates of up to 1-2 inches per hour possible. Total rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches, with locally higher amounts up to 4 inches are possible.

* Heavy rain in short periods of time will cause the potential for streams and creeks to quickly rise out of their banks as well as the potential for flash flooding in urban areas.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.

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