Slow-moving storms did some significant damage in the D.C. region on Wednesday night, with national weather agencies and meteorological experts warning of major flooding.
By Wednesday evening, conditions began to grow unstable — thunderstorms rolled in around 6:30 p.m., bringing with them heavy rain.
Current weather warnings for D.C. region:
- Ground stops in effect at Dulles and Reagan Airports until 11:15 p.m.
- A flash flood warning is in effect for some Fauquier and Prince William counties, as well as the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park until midnight
- A flash flood warning is in effect for Fairfax, Stafford, Fauquier and Prince William counties and the City of Manassas Park until 12:30 a.m.
- A flood warning is in effect for low-lying areas in northern Fauquier, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren counties in Virginia until 2:45 a.m. Thursday
7News First Alert Chief Meteorologist Veronica Johnson reported that a swift-water rescue was carried out in Gainesville, Virginia, where a car was disabled by six feet of water near the Lake Manassas Dam.
Noel Chavez, a photojournalist with 7News, reported live from the scene and told WTOP’s Nick Iannelli that a car that had stalled in the water was able to be pushed out by crews.
“The lightning adds an ominous effect trying to navigate these streets and all of a sudden, you see a flash of lightning, and there’s standing water there,” he said. “It doesn’t surprise me that there’s been a reported at least seven houses that were struck by lightning because driving around Loudoun County and going down into Prince William County, it’s just been non-stop flashing.”
WTOP Meteorologist Mike Stinneford reported around 6:20 p.m. that the storms building around the Interstate 66 corridor would begin “to blossom as a trough goes into some very, very moist air across the region.”
“Once these storms move in, we could see rainfall rates of one to three inches per hour, and that will cause flash flooding,” Stinneford said.
Storms produced flash flood warnings around the region, starting in Fauquier County, Virginia, around 8 p.m.
“Do watch out for some heavy rain and some high winds here, and very heavy rain is going to sweep across much of the metro area that got hit so hard just a couple of days ago. The ground is saturated,” Stinneford said.
Showers & thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts and torrential downpours are expected across much of the area today into this evening. Isolated instances of flash flooding will be possible with this convection. High temperatures will be in the 80s to low 90s. pic.twitter.com/vqj1wSUDIq
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 16, 2025
A tornado warning went into effect for Hampstead, Maryland, in Carroll County around 8:15 p.m. and Stinneford said he could see a “significant rotation” on the radar. The warning expired around 9 p.m.
“My fear is that we’re just going to see so much rain and the ground is already saturated,” Stinneford said. “As it gets dark, it’s harder to discern where the roadways are covered (in water).”
Before the storms, temperatures climbed steadily into the upper 80s and low 90s by the afternoon.
The weather pattern follows repeated days of sticky heat topped with late-day showers and thunderstorms that have snarled traffic and led to flash flooding. According to local highway officials, Monday evening’s storms caused multiple flooding issues, including mud and debris sucked into drainage pipes on some the area’s major roadways.
Outages
Thousands in the D.C. area were out of power on Wednesday night due to the severe weather.
In Virginia, Dominion Energy reported that around 7,000 customers were without power in Fauquier County. Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, or NOVEC, said a little over 800 were in the dark.
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative in Fauquier also reported about 700 customers in the dark.
In Loudoun County, about 800 Dominion Energy customers were without power. Another 800 were also without power in Fairfax County. NOVEC also reported that more than 3,000 Loudoun County customers were without power.
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Looking ahead
Thursday will bring little relief as it is set to be the hottest day of the week, 7News First Alert Senior Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff said. Heat indexes will reach over 100 degrees.
“A little less coverage for storms, still can be a few hefty ones,” he said. “Mid-90s will feel like triple digits for sure.”
Thursday will be hot and humid, and the return of late afternoon storms are in the forecast. It’ll grow muggy after sunset with areas of dense fog likely overnight.
A heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday where heat-based illnesses could arise.
Friday and Saturday will continue the weather trend of warm and humid conditions with the possibility of storms in the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80s.
FORECAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Lingering showers and storms
Lows: 72-76
Winds: South 5 mph
THURSDAY: Partly cloudy with isolated afternoon storms
Highs: 90-95
Heat index: 100-105
Winds: Southwest 5-15 mph
FRIDAY: Partly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms
Highs: 85-90
Winds: Northwest 5-10 mph
SATURDAY: Scattered afternoon showers and storms
Highs: 83-88
Winds: South 8-12 mph
SUNDAY: Afternoon showers and storms
Highs: Near 90
Winds: West 5-10 mph
CURRENT CONDITIONS
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