Storms spread through the D.C. area Monday afternoon and evening, bringing with it a cold front and the possibility of a solid line of intense showers and possible severe thunderstorms overnight. Here’s what you need to know.
See the updated weather alerts for Tuesday by clicking here.
Earlier Monday, there was plenty of sunshine, and temperatures approached the upper 70s. Storm Team4 meteorologist Matt Ritter said new high temperature records were set at Dulles International Airport and BWI Marshall Airport.
After the sunshine came some clouds, rain and strong winds Monday afternoon. It didn’t quite break the rainfall record at Reagan National Airport, but it’s less then 3 inches away before the midnight deadline, Ritter said.
Dulles and BWI set new high temp. records today. DCA tied. DCA needs a little less than 3″ of rainfall between now and midnight to set a new rainfall record for the date. #DCwx #MDwx #VAwx pic.twitter.com/csB59v2huT
— Matt Ritter, WTOP Multimedia Meteorologist (@MetMattRitter) October 26, 2021
Doppler radar rainfall estimates for the day so far as of 11pm EDT. Just wow, especially considering how dry October was. Color key on left of the graphic. #wtop #dcwx #vawx #mdwx pic.twitter.com/21SdRvYBKA
— Matt Ritter, WTOP Multimedia Meteorologist (@MetMattRitter) October 26, 2021
And the storms may not be over yet. The second of two systems could bring with it a cold front moving east from West Virginia that will bring cooler temperatures overnight.
“The first is bringing a fast-moving broken line of showers and occasional thunderstorms up from the south and will move over the D.C. area during the evening rush. The second system will be a deepening area of low pressure and strong cold front coming from the Ohio Valley that will bring a solid line of intense showers and possible severe thunderstorms late this evening from west to east into the very early morning hours Tuesday,” Ritter said.
Some heavy downpours and strong gusty winds will be possible in the evening with this very dynamic system.
Due to high water levels caused by Monday night rain, the Maryland-National Capital Park Police said that Beach Drive from Knowles to the D.C. line is closed.
The WTOP Traffic Center reported Monday around 10 p.m. that all lanes were blocked due to flooding at Prosperity Avenue near Morningside Drive in Fairfax, Virginia. Issues with flooding and standing water were also reported on Interstate 66 eastbound in Centreville and after Washington Boulevard.
“The cold front will clear the region after midnight tonight. In its wake, winds will stay breezy overnight and temperatures will fall into the 50s and 60s,” said Storm Team 4 meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts.
That means plenty of clouds Tuesday as an area of low pressure churns off the mid-Atlantic coast, with winds gusting upward of 35 mph out of the northwest, Ricketts said.
Sunshine returns Wednesday, although it will still be a bit breezy with northwest winds at 10 to 20 mph.
“We stay dry on Thursday, with clouds increasing throughout the day,” Ricketts said. “Winds will be much lighter on Thursday.”
But the lull won’t last long. Another system sweeps the region Thursday overnight into Friday and Saturday, bringing more rain, especially on Friday into Saturday morning.
Most of the rain, though, should be out of the region by Saturday night.
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Forecast:
- Monday night: Cloudy, scattered showers, cool and breezy. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s.
- Tuesday: Scattered showers, cloudy and windy. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s.
- Wednesday: Breezy and partly sunny. Temperatures in the mid to upper 60s.
- Thursday: Partly to mostly cloudy. Temperatures in the mid 60s.
