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Capital Weather Gang

Storms gradually weakening and exiting this evening. Calmer overnight but more heat and storms likely Wednesday.

Some storms Tuesday evening produced damaging winds and very heavy rainfall

By Ian Livingston
and 
Jason Samenow
 
July 2, 2019
By Ian Livingston
and 
Jason Samenow
 
July 2, 2019
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8:40 p.m. - Storms weakening as they push through our southern and eastern areas. They should exit in the next 60 to 90 minutes.

There are no longer any severe thunderstorm warnings in effect for the region as storms have weakened as they’ve pushed southeast. Showers and storms with locally heavy rain and lightning stretch from around Severna Park in Maryland to Dale City in Virginia.

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All of this activity should continue pushing east-southeast and gradually weaken over the next hour or so, although we can’t totally rule out a localized flare-up of storm activity and another severe storm warning or two.

This is the last update in this post. Follow our Twitter feed (@capitalweather) for radar updates as long as showers and storms are around and scroll down for the forecast through tomorrow.

8:20 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning for southern Alexandria through southern Prince George’s County through 8:45 p.m.

An intense part of the line storms pushing through the area stretches from south Alexandria to Groveton to Fort Hunt in southern Fairfax County in Virginia and will cross the Potomac and affect the area around Fort Washington in Prince George’s County and points east over the next 25 minutes or so. Some damaging wind gusts are possible in this zone.

8:15 p.m. - Storms blasting through entire area have produced some damaging wind gusts

Radar shows a rather intense line of storms from Glen Burnie in Md. through downtown Washington to Springfield in Va. with very heavy rain and pockets of strong winds.

These storms have a history of producing both torrential rain and tree damage:

Here is a picture of a downed tree from Fairfax:

And here’s how the menacing storms appeared on approach:

7:45 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning for central and southern Fairfax County as intense line of storms plows through region

Radar shows an intense line of storms stretched from Columbia to Manassas pushing through the immediate area. These storms contain very heavy rain and lightning and will pass from west to east, crossing the District, over the next hour or so.

Between Falls Church, Fairfax, and Burke, radar indicates some very strong, possibly damaging winds. This zone of high winds is pushing toward Lake Barcroft, Springfield and Alexandria.

7:25 p.m.- Severe thunderstorm warning for northern and eastern Montgomery County until 8 p.m.; Widespread storms approaching immediate area from west.

Strong to severe storms have developed north and west of Washington. An intense storm near Damascus in Montgomery County is pushing southeast toward Olney and likely contains strong winds and very heavy rain.

Additional storms, while not severe, stretch to the south through Potomac and then to the southwest along and north of Interstate 66 from Centreville to Gainesville. Very heavy rain and some lightning are likely in these storms which should push through much of the immediate area over the next hour or so.

6:15 p.m. - Storms from Bowie to Annapolis to exit by 7 p.m., but more storms coming in from the northwest this evening

The strong to severe storm that flared up over northern Loudoun County late this afternoon has now traveled all the way to the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay. It was intense at times, bringing down some trees in Montgomery County. It will move east of Annapolis over the next 30 to 45 minutes.

But there are some more scattered storms behind it in Frederick and Loudoun counties and to the northwest near the Mason Dixon line. It’s unclear how well these storms will hold together as they head southeast, but they present the chance of scattered storms in the region over the next several hours.

If these storms turn severe, we’ll update this post.

For now, we’ll close with this beautiful rainbow capture from Nationals Park:

5:30 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning from Silver Spring to Annapolis until 6:15 p.m.

Storms parallel Interstate 95 from Silver Spring to Laurel and are pressing east toward the Bay. Over the next 45 minutes, they’ll pass through Greenbelt, Bowie, Odenton, Severna Park and eventually Annapolis on their way to the Bay. Pockets of high winds and perhaps some small hail are possible in addition to lightning and heavy rain.

5:10 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning from Rockville to Greenbelt until 5:45 p.m.

The intense storm in the Potomac/Rockville area up through Gaithersburg is pushing east-southeast through much of the rest of Montgomery County toward northern Prince George’s County, and southwest Howard County. Heavy rain, lightning, and perhaps some isolated pockets of damaging winds are possible as this storm pushes through Aspen Hill, Wheaton, Olney and Silver Spring. The storm could eventually affect the Laurel and Columbia areas by around 5:45 p.m.

4:45 p.m. - Severe thunderstorm warning for Montgomery and northern Fairfax counties until 5:15 p.m. Possible damaging winds entering North Potomac, Md.

An intense storm between Reston and Gaithersburg is moving east-southeast toward the northwest side of the Beltway. Radar has indicated a burst of possible damaging winds (up to 60 mph) approaching North Potomac. The worst of this storm is headed toward Rockville and North Bethesda and is likely to also contain lightning and heavy rain in addition to the strong winds.

Very strong winds were observed in Leesburg as this storm rolled through.

Original post

Our short break from higher heat is over as 90-degree temperatures overtook the area once again today. It’s the 15th day of 90 or higher this year in the city, which is a few days above normal for early July. We’ve got at least a few more coming, starting with Wednesday.

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Through Tonight: Isolated to scattered storms are possible into the evening, especially in western parts of the area. After that, the area is partly to mostly clear. Dew points near 70 mean humidity is on the high side. This also keeps temperatures from falling below the low- to mid-70s in the suburbs and the mid- or upper-70s downtown. Winds are from the south-southwest around 5 mph.

View the current weather at The Washington Post.

Tomorrow (Wednesday): Another hot and hazy day. Highs are close to 90 in the coolest spots north and west or near the water, and as warm as the mid-90s in the urban heart of the area. Some afternoon or evening storms are possible once again. Humidity is bordering on high as dew point settles around 70 degrees, which pushes heat indexes toward the mid- and upper-90s at peak. Winds are from the west-southwest around 5 to 10 mph.

See Matt Rogers’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Gridlock.

Pollen update: Grass pollen is high. Other allergens are low.

Better forecasts: The New Yorker recently took a look at a new book which details how weather forecasting keeps getting better. A worthwhile read.

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