After a total soaking Thursday that broke records as the all-time rainiest March day at Dulles International Airport, severe thunderstorms tore through the D.C. area Friday, bringing gusts of wind up to 60 mph.
Thursday marked a record for all-time rainiest day in March at Dulles with a total of 2.69 inches. The old record was back in 2000 with a total of 1.29 inches of rain.
Reagan National Airport saw a total of 1.96 inches of rain and BWI Marshall Airport saw 1.74 inches of rain Thursday.
Northwest winds on Friday averaged 20 to 30 mph with gusts well over 40 mph expected. High winds and saturated soil toppled trees and limbs.
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Severe thunderstorms were mostly confined to D.C. and areas east of the Capital Beltway, according to Storm Team 4 meteorologist Matt Ritter.
Two WTOP listeners reported seeing hail and graupel in Fairfax County, Virginia. The storms moved through the region quickly and left sunshine in their wake.
Wind will remain an issue until Saturday, however.
Warnings and advisories
A wind advisory is in effect for parts of the area until 4 a.m. Saturday.
Strong winds are expected today, especially this afternoon/evening. A Wind Advisory is in effect for those most likely to see winds to 50 mph. Scattered showers & isolated t-storms are expected this PM w/ small hail possible. In the mountains, snow showers/squalls are expected. pic.twitter.com/M8HGIVZceO
— NWS DC/Baltimore (@NWS_BaltWash) March 22, 2019
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Thursday’s heavy rainfall has exacerbated road conditions on the George Washington Parkway because of damage that the National Park Service and Fairfax County Fire & Rescue described as a sinkhole.
The parkway in Virginia has closed down completely because of the sinkhole.
In D.C. a fallen tree blocked Waterside Road at Massachusetts Avenue Northwest.
See an up-to-the-minute map of road closures on the WTOP Traffic page.
Forecast
Saturday will be bright but gusty, with winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts of 30 to 40 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, gusty and cool.
Highs: low-mid 50s
Wind Chill: 30s/40sSunday: Potential morning frost. Sunshine, less wind and warmer.
Highs: near 60Monday: Increasing clouds with showers developing.
Highs: low 60sTuesday: Partly to mostly sunny, breezy and cooler.
Highs: mid-upper 40s
Power outages
There were reports of power outages throughout the WTOP listening area. Check below for the latest.
Current weather
WTOP’s Reem Nadeem and Zeke Hartner contributed to this report.
