Thunderstorms are rocking the D.C. region Thursday, ushering in high winds, large hail and the possibility of a few tornados.
Much of the D.C. metro region is under a . The National Weather Service has cautioned that weather conditions could lead to the formation of severe storms and tornadoes.
“Keep in mind there’s a lot of shear, that is winds turning with height over the northern suburbs, and that always leads to the possibility of tornadoes,” said WTOP Meteorologist Mike Stinneford.
Heavy rainfall is creating some ponding on roadways during the afternoon commute. WTOP Traffic has the latest on roadway impacts.
The National Weather Service has issued these watches and warnings for the D.C. area:
- Tornado watch for the D.C. region until 10 p.m.
- Severe thunderstorm watch for Northern Virginia until 10 p.m.
According to NWS, the highest tornado threat is in central and northeast Maryland.
Areas west of the District, including Leesburg, Warrenton and Culpeper, are outside of the tornado watch. Those areas are under a severe thunderstorm watch.
Severe thunderstorm warnings have sporadically popped up in parts of the D.C. region Thursday afternoon. NWS warned storms could pack wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Stinneford said the severe weather will move from west to east.
Thursday’s storms are expected to be most impactful in areas east of U.S. Route 15, according to NWS.
“We do have a risk for severe weather and also flooding,” 7太子探花 First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan said.
Urban areas are especially at risk of flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service. The highest risk is near and northeast of Baltimore, Maryland.
Severe T-Storm and Tornado Watches are valid for the shaded areas until 10pm. The highest tornado threat looks to be up across central & northeast MD due to the bay breeze ahead of the front. Storm timing between now-7pm. More: .
鈥� NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash)
The stormy weather is expected to move out of the D.C. region by 9 p.m.
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Before the storms arrived, Thursday was hot and humid in the D.C. region with highs near 90.
“Temperatures will fall into the 70s once those storms come through, and we’ll see cooler temperatures overnight in the 60s,” Whelan said.
Friday will be overcast, mostly dry and cooler than Thursday with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s.
Forecast
THURSDAY EVENING: WEATHER ALERT: Strong to severe storms. Temperatures between 66 and 76.
Winds: Southwest to North 10-20 mph
OVERNIGHT: Rain, storms ending. Patchy fog developing. Lows between 57 and 65.
Winds: North 5 mph
FRIDAY: Mostly to partly cloudy. Highs between 79 and 87.
Winds: Northeast 5-10 mph
SATURDAY: Cloudy and humid. Tracking morning, PM scattered storms. Highs between 78 and 82.
Winds: Southeast 5-10 mph
SUNDAY: AM clouds, PM sun. Highs between 82 and 86.
Winds: Southwest to West 5-10 mph
Current conditions
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