WASHINGTON – The storm system that plagued the region during this week is moving on out of here and just in time for the weekend.
The last piece of the system, a cold front, moved through the region on Thursday.
According to ABC 7’s Ryan Miller, by Tuesday evening, 2.6 billion gallons of rain fell on the District alone (based on average accumulated rain for WJLA’s Weatherbug network). More than half of the rain that D.C. has picked up for just the month of April fell during the last two days. With these stats, you know we were going to break some records – and we did just that. Records were smashed at the area’s airports.
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As we know, major flooding took place across the region. On average, the listening area received anywhere from 1.50 inches of total accumulated rainfall to more than 6.50 inches of rainfall. Pockets of the heaviest rain fell in central Montgomery County and into Howard County and a portion of upper Fairfax County.
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I also saw some jaw-dropping totals courtesy of our Weatherbug network for the duration of the event beginning Monday:
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Considering the long duration of the rainfall, flash flooding became a likely event by Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rain cells continued to pulsate over the same area yesterday and then storms rolled across the region during the late afternoon and evening hours. Rainfall rates were anywhere from 1 inch to 3 inches per hour in some of the heavier pockets!
Good news is that the rivers are beginning to recede. However there is still flooding in spots.
At the Duckett Dam in Laurel, by Thursday morning, 1 million gallons of water were flowing through it every 35 seconds. According to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, at the height of the Duckett Dam release on Wednesday night, 63,000 gallons of water were flowing through every second!
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Ducketts Dam releases 1 million gallons of water every 35 seconds. The dams gates were opened late Wednesday to relieve pressure on the dam and the swollen reservoir behind it, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of Laurel residents. (Courtesy Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission)
To check out the area rivers’ flood stages around the region, head to this interactive map. The water will return to its banks during the next few days.
No more heavy rain is headed to our area anytime soon, just a few showers here and there. So until then, enjoy the beautiful weekend ahead with temperatures right around 70 degrees and a mix of sun and clouds — all the way through Monday!
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